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Moscow Police Detain 150 Migrant Workers Suspected of Islamist Militant Links

The migrant workers were seized in western Moscow, where most of the detainees were living in a laborers' dormitory. Denis Abramov / Vedomosti

Police in Moscow have detained 150 migrant workers on suspicion of links with Islamist militants, the LifeNews sensationalist news agency reported Monday.

Investigators have seized “large amounts of banned literature” from the detainees, including the book “Muslim's Fortress” and images of the flag of the banned organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, pro-Kremlin tabloid LifeNews reported Monday. The news portal and television station did not cite its sources.

No weapons or illegal drugs were found during searches of the migrants' living quarters, the report said.

The migrant workers were seized in western Moscow, where most of the detainees were living in a laborers' dormitory, while others resided in makeshift shacks, the report said.

Last week, Moscow police announced the detainment of 500 migrant workers from former Soviet republics as part of an investigation into a series of robbery attacks against women in the city, state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported at that time.

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