Followers of Turkish theologian Said Nursi were detained in Moscow and the Moscow region

Followers of the Turkish theologian Said Nursi were detained in Moscow and the Moscow Region — they are suspected of participating in the activities of the Nurcular religious association, recognized in Russia as an extremist organization. This is reported by Izvestia and the Information and Analytical Center "Sova" .

As Izvestia was told in the Main Investigation Department of the Moscow Investigative Committee, criminal cases were opened against the detainees for organizing and participating in the activities of an extremist organization (parts 1 and 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code).

“According to available information, the functionaries of this organization made active attempts to create a multi-level system for promoting their radical ideology in Russia. For these purposes, they selected and recruited new participants, primarily from among the students of Moscow, ”the publication quotes a statement from the press center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The Siloviki telegram channel, which is associated with law enforcement agencies, also published information about the detention of Nursi's followers. The text contains 11 names of the detainees: Tarasov, Zeynalov, Ksyupov, Khalullahov, two Mamedovs, Hajiyev, Abdullayev, Nesterovich, Abdullin. Three of them are allegedly the leaders of the group.

It is reported that the security forces conducted 14 searches, during which they seized almost 300 copies of extremist literature, equipment, as well as a carbine, a rifle, a gas pistol, two crossbows and a bow with arrows. Another person was detained after trying to escape.

The detainees were taken to the Gagarin Interdistrict Investigation Department of the Main Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee for the city of Moscow. Nothing is known about their further fate.

6 October The Investigative Committee reports that criminal cases on organizing and participating in the activities of an extremist organization (parts 1 and 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code) were opened against six detainees.

• The Nurcular organization, which allegedly aims to establish Muslim religious rule based on Sharia, was declared extremist and banned by the Russian Supreme Court in 2008.
• The SOVA Center considers the ban on the Nurcular Association unlawful. According to human rights activists, there is no such organization in Russia, there are only individual believers. According to the center's website, they are unreasonably persecuted for studying the books of the Turkish theologian Said Nursi.