Suspected Members Of Banned Islamic Group Detained In Daghestan

Fourteen suspected members of a banned Islamic group have been detained in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region of Daghestan.

Local authorities said on March 15 that those detained are suspected of being members of Nurcular.

One of the suspects, Ziavdin Dapayev, is suspected of being the leader of the group's branch in Russia.

Since 2013, several alleged members of Nurcular have been arrested across Russia, including in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Nurcular was founded in Turkey by Islamic scholar Said Nursi, who died in 1960.

It has been banned in Russia since 2008.

Russian authorities have said the group promotes the creation of an Islamic state that encompasses all Turkic-speaking areas and countries in the region.

Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax