Authorities Say 15 Alleged Members Of Hizb Ut-Tahrir Detained In Russia's Tatarstan

Security authorities in Russia's Tatarstan region have detained 15 alleged members of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir organization.

A spokesman for the Federal Security Service (FSB) in Tatarstan said on March 14 that the suspects were detained after a special operation.

Thirty homes were searched in Kazan and Tatarstan's two districts, and books with suspected extremist content were confiscated at the searched homes, the FSB spokesman said.

Authorities in Russia and other former Soviet republics say Hizb ut-Tahrir plays a role in a strategy used by Al-Qaeda and Islamic State militants to radicalize young people and recruit them to fight in Syria and Iraq.

Hizb ut-Tahrir, a London-based Sunni political organization, seeks to unite all Muslim countries into an Islamic caliphate.

Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in Russia and Central Asia, says its movement is peaceful.

Based on reporting by RIA and Interfax