The Russian state security service says it has charged seven alleged members of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.
The Federal Security Service’s (FSB) branch in the Sverdlovsk region in the Urals said on February 17 that the suspects have been officially charged with terrorism.
Authorities announced last week they had detained the members of the group in the city of Yekaterinburg on February 7, saying they were suspected of planning to carry out "high-profile terrorist attacks using self-made explosive devices on the territory of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and the Sverdlovsk region."
The accused were reported to be both Russian citizens and citizens of Central Asian states, and their leader was said to be a member of the IS group who had come to Russia from Turkey.
Russian authorities estimate that some 3,000 Russian citizens have joined IS in Syria.