Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has said that it arrested dozens of members of an “ethnic criminal group” in Moscow suspected of smuggling Islamic State fighters from Russia to Iraq and Syria.
The FSB has reported foiling several terror plots across Russia over the past year, including attacks planned for New Year’s celebrations and presidential election events this month. Russia is believed to be among the top sources of foreign terrorist fighters in war-torn Iraq and Syria.
“[Sixty] foreign citizens were detained as a result of the special operation,” the FSB said in an online statement on its website Tuesday.
“The connection between the organizers of the supply chain and representatives of international terrorist organizations has been confirmed,” the FSB said.
The 60 suspects detained in the Russian capital and its neighboring region are also suspected of producing counterfeit documents for Central Asian migrants in Russia.
Islamic State is a terrorist organization banned in Russia.
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