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CIS intelligence teamed up to smoke out dozens of terror financiers in 2017

Intelligence services of the Commonwealth of Independent States detained nine and unmasked 90 people linked to terror financing during the Barrier operation in 2017

© EPA/MOHAMMED BADRA

ODINTSOVO /Moscow Region/, February 20. /TASS/. Intelligence services of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) detained nine and unmasked 90 people linked to terror financing during the Barrier operation carried out by financial monitoring groups and intelligence services in 2017, head of the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center (ATC) Colonel General Andrey Novikov said at the 11th meeting of heads of national anti-terrorism centers of CIS member states.

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"In 2017, nine people were detained and 90 people linked to terrorism financing were identified during the Barrier operation based on information provided by the CIS ATC on people wanted for terrorism-related crimes and mercenary activities," Novikov reported.

In addition to that, in 2017 the Tral-Anti-Terror - Identification operation conducted by the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center together with its partners from the penitentiary services of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia pinpointed the location of 26 people wanted for terror crimes.

About 20,000 citizens of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) suspected of ties to terrorists and extremists are on the CIS border guard record, Director of the Department for Cooperation in Security and Countering New Challenges and Threats of the CIS Executive Committee Albert Druzhinin said.

"To date, about 20,000 citizens are on the border guard’s record in CIS countries (on suspicion) of involvement in terrorist and extremist organizations," he reported.

According to Druzhinin, the issue of sharing information in real time to detect and apprehend criminals is currently pending.

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