Islamist recruiter stands trial in Uzbekistan
TASHKENT. Nov 28 (Interfax) - The Qashqadaryo Region Criminal Court in Uzbekistan is hearing the case of a local resident who is accused of fighting for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and trying to recruit militants in his home country.
The 27-year-old resident of Shakhrisabz, a town in the Qashqadaryo region, moved to Bashkortostan as a migrant worker three years ago. He fell under the influence of religious extremists there, a court representative told Interfax on Friday.
The defendant admitted that he joined the terrorist organization Islamic Movement of Turkestan and fought for the ISIL in Syria and Iraq.
He returned to Uzbekistan illegally via the Osh region of Kyrgyzstan and tried to recruit militants. The police seized discs containing extremist videos, which called for the creation of an Islamic state and the destabilization of Uzbekistan, from the defendant.
