Suspected Islamist Leader Detained In Moscow Region

The suspected leader of a cell of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) in the Moscow region has been apprehended.

Russia's Interior Ministry said on May 28 that a 27-year-old citizen of Tajikistan, whose name was not revealed, has been arrested in the town of Noginsk for being the leader of a banned Islamic group.

According to the ministry, the arrested man's cell is suspected of involvement in an armed robbery in the Moscow region in 2012 and of recruiting Central Asians into the IMU's ranks.

The IMU, which is active in Afghanistan and Pakistan, is on the U.S. State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations.

It is believed to have links with Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.

Based on reporting by Interfax and ITAR-TASS