YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK. Feb 17 (Interfax) - A group of illegal migrants from Central Asian countries who planned to go to Syria to fight on the side of the Islamic State (organization is banned in Russia) has been detained in Sakhalin, the press service for the border guard department of the Federal Security Service's Department for the Sakhalin region said on Friday.
"A group of people with origins in the Central Asian region, who intended to go to Syria to participate in the activities of the Islamic State (banned in Russia) through third countries under the ideological influence of one of the members of this group, has been found," the report said.
All of them had been in Russia illegally for a long time, the press service said. According to the press service, one of them has been prosecuted in the territory of the Sakhalin region for illegally crossing the border and for bribery, and was also wanted by the Uzbek authorities for extremist crimes and mercenarism.
"The coordinated and timely joint actions of the border guards and the Federal Security Service's department for the region prevented the illegal migrants from carrying out their plans," the press service said. Bearing in mind the interest of the foreign law enforcement agencies, four foreigners have now been sent to their home countries and have been handed over to foreign partners under court decisions for further verification and prosecution.
The individuals have now been banned by the Russian authorities from entering Russia.