Four Hizb ut-Tahrir members arrested in Crimea
SIMFEROPOL. Feb 11 (Interfax) - A criminal inquiry has been launched after the arrest of four members of the Hizb ut-Tahrir party banned in Russia, who operated in the south of the peninsula, a spokesperson for Crimean prosecutors told Interfax on Thursday.
"Four people have been arrested for involvement in an unlawful activity. According to the inquiry, one of the members of the Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami party set up a local cell of this terror organization, it operated in Yalta and Alushta," the spokesperson said.
Earlier on Thursday Crimean Prosecutor Natalya Poklonskaya told Interfax about the arrests. The case is being probed by investigators from the Crimean branch of the Federal Security Service (FSB), she said. "We checked the decision to open the inquiry. The prosecutors of the Republic of Crimea are monitoring the case. I personally control the investigation," Poklonskaya said.
On Thursday human rights campaigners wrote on social media about massive searches carried out by the FSB at Crimean Tatars' houses.
"They are deliberately speculating on the subject of nationality. True, searches are being carried out as part of this inquiry, but not only of Crimean Tatars, not all the suspects are Crimean Tatars," Poklonskaya said.
The Crimean FSB office has no comment on information about the arrests of Hizb ut-Tahrir members, the agency's spokesperson told Interfax.
Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami (Islamic Party of Liberation) was declared a terrorist organization and banned in Russia.