Kyrgyz security forces arrest 12 over extremist activities PHOTO

Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security (SCNS) has detained 12 suspected active members of the religious extremist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, the agency said.

According to the SCNS, the individuals were allegedly involved in activities aimed at spreading extremist ideology, as well as producing and distributing materials deemed extremist in nature.

Authorities said the detentions were carried out as part of a criminal investigation, with law enforcement officers conducting searches at the residences of the suspects.

During the operations, investigators seized religious literature allegedly linked to Hizb ut-Tahrir activities, electronic storage devices including DVDs, mobile phones, tablets, a laptop, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), cash, and several pneumatic pistols, including IZH 37, Baikal MP-651 KS, and Sinza models.

The SCNS said investigative and operational measures are ongoing to determine all circumstances of the case and identify any other individuals who may have been involved in the alleged activities.

Hizb ut-Tahrir is a Sunni religious-political organization founded in Jerusalem in 1953. The group advocates the establishment of an Islamic state, or caliphate, and operates in more than 50 countries, with an estimated membership of around one million people worldwide. The organization was particularly active in Central Asia, Russia, and Ukraine during the 1990s and 2000s.

By Vafa Guliyeva