Kyrgyz authorities arrest alleged IS militant returning from Syria
Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
Publication Date | 24 June 2016 |
Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kyrgyz authorities arrest alleged IS militant returning from Syria, 24 June 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a43c0a23.html [accessed 31 May 2023] |
Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
June 24, 2016
By RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service
BISHKEK – Authorities in Kyrgyzstan have arrested a 21-year-old Kyrgyz man on charges that he joined so-called Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria and returned to Kyrgyzstan with plans to carry out a series of terrorist attacks in the Central Asian country.
Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security (UKMK) said on June 24 that the suspect was arrested on June 10 as he tried to enter Kyrgyzstan.
On June 17, the UKMK announced that three other men who allegedly fought alongside IS militants in Syria had been arrested on June 10 in the southern region of Batken.
Authorities said those three suspects returned from Syria earlier in 2016 and also alleged were planning a series of terrorist attacks in Kyrgyzstan.
Bishkek says that a total of more than 500 Kyrgyz citizens have joined IS militants in Syria and Iraq.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website