Six Suspected Members Of Hizb Ut-Tahrir Arrested In St. Petersburg

Six suspected members of a banned Islamic group have been arrested in Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg.

The Kirov District Court in St. Petersburg says four suspected members of Hizb ut-Tahrir were sent to 45-day pretrial detention on June 25 and two suspected members were sent on June 26.

All six were detained on June 24. They are all reportedly Russian citizens.

Hizb ut-Tahrir is a London-based Sunni political organization that seeks to unite all Muslim countries into an Islamic caliphate.

Russia's Supreme Court banned the group in 2003, branding its members and supporters as "extremists."

Based on reporting by Fontanka.ru and ITAR-TASS