16 natives of Chechnya detained in Belgium on suspicion of extremist activities

In Belgium, the police detained 16 natives of Chechnya on suspicion of extremist activities. Two of the detainees were arrested on charges of recruiting mercenaries to take part in the combat actions in Syria. The other detainees were released.

According to the Federal Prosecutor's Office of Belgium, on June 8, all 16 natives of Chechnya suspected of extremist activities were detained during a special operation carried out simultaneously in the cities of Ostend, Antwerp, Louvain, Namur, and Bredene.

Some detainees, according to the operative information, have connections with the "Imarat Kavkaz" and the Syrian "Al-Nusra", the terrorist organizations banned in Russia. Some of the detainees attempted to recruit a resident of Belgium for taking part in the combat actions in Syria, the BBC reports on June 8 with reference to the Federal Prosecutor's Office of Belgium.

21 searches were conducted during the special operation, the "Interfax" reports with reference to the Belgian newspaper "Le Soir". The police assumed that the detainees were involved in plotting of a terror act in Belgium. However, those assumptions have not been confirmed, and 14 of the detainees were released.

Two other detainees are charged of recruiting mercenaries for taking part in the combat actions in Syria, and thus, they are taken into custody, the "TASS" reports today with reference to the Federal Prosecutor's Office of Belgium.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.