Two Alleged Leaders Of Banned Islamic Group Arrested In Tatarstan

Two alleged leaders of the Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamic group have been arrested in Russia's Tatarstan region.

The Vakhitov district court in the Tatar capital, Kazan, on October 12 ordered that Rais Gimadiyev and Ildar Akmetzyanov must be placed in pretrial detention.

The two men were detained on October 11 on suspicion of leading a Hizb ut-Tahrir' cell in Tatarstan, which was allegedly propagating extremist ideas.

Hizb ut-Tahrir is a global organization based in London that seeks to unite all Muslim countries into an Islamic caliphate.

Russia's Supreme Court banned the group in 2003, branding its supporters "extremists."

Members of Hizb ut-Tahrir insist the group is peaceful.

With reporting by TASS, Interfax, and Tatar-Inform