Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained a group of members of the Nurcu Muslim religious movement, the APA news agency informs. They are suspected in involving people in the Nurcu movement, which is banned in Russia.
The FSB office in Dagestan together with the Anti-Extremism Office of the Dagestan Interior Ministry has arrested citizens of nine countries, including seven Azerbaijani and one Turkish. According to APA, the arrested Turkish national Ali Ihsan Erdemr, 44 was a coordinator of Nurcu followers in Russia.
Reportedly, Erdemir visited Moscow, St Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Kostroma, Yaroslavl,Kazan and Krasnoyarsk to discuss the future of the movement with Nurcu preachers. Bills for promotional materials for the movement totaling $72,000 and a number of religious books were found in the place of the movement’s meetings in Izberbash town. Some of the books found are banned in Russia as they are considered extremist literature.
The Russian Supreme Court officially banned the activity of the Nurcu movement in August, 2008.
http://www.mosnews.com/politics/2009/04/28/1352/
