The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has uncovered two extremist cells in Russia’s internal republics of Karacha-yevo-Cherkessia and Dagestan comprising adherents of the Al-Takfir wal Hijra movement, banned in Russia, seeking to establish a caliphate in the North Caucasus, the FSB press centre told.
“The Federal Security Ser-vice of the Russian Federation dismantled the activities of two cells of the Al-Takfir wal Hijra international extremist religious movement, banned in Russia, in the Malokarachayevsk District of the Republic of Karachayevo-Cherkessia and in the cities of Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, and Izberbash of the Republic of Dagestan. In all, they had more than 20 members,” it said.
The cells’ members were actively involved in promoting the radical ideology, recruited new members to this extremist religious sect, called on adherents to renounce secular laws and civil society institutions, “and also sought to set up a theocratic Islamic state – a caliphate – in the territory of the North Caucasus,” it said. “The following items were found and seized at their places of residence and the places of their secret meetings: three grenades with live primers, three PM pistols, cartridges of different calibres, a sawed-off hunting rifle, bladed weapons…” the press centre said.