Group of classmates detained in Andijan for attempting to join terrorists

In the Andijan region, a group of 18-year-olds who organized discussions about ’’martyrdom’’ and ’’jihad’’ have been arrested, the regional Department of Internal Affairs reported the incident.

According to the statement, a resident of the Segiza neighborhood in Shahrihon district, born in 2007, began to adopt radical beliefs after accessing social media and viewing materials on websites banned in Uzbekistan. He fell under the influence of recruiters from the media centers of international terrorist organizations operating in Syria and other conflict zones. The individual created a group on Instagram and Telegram called ’’Ahli sunna editlar’’ and was active under the alias ’’Abu Bakr.’’

He invited eight of his classmates from the same school in Shahrihon district to join the group, where they held discussions about martyrdom and jihad and even assigned themselves religious nicknames. The group reportedly planned to travel to foreign countries currently affected by armed conflicts.

As a result of joint operations carried out by law enforcement agencies in the Andijan region, the group’s activities were stopped, and attempts by its members to leave for countries where terrorist acts are taking place were prevented.

’’I used to watch banned videos and jihad-promoting clips on Instagram. I created a group called ‘Ahli sunna editlar’ and added two or three of my classmates. I posted banned videos about jihad and ongoing conflicts there. Through that channel, my friends and I planned to go to Syria for jihad. This path turned out to be wrong, and I deeply regret what I did,’’ one of the detained individuals said.

A criminal case has been initiated under Article 244¹ (Production, storage, distribution, or display of materials threatening public security and order), paragraph ’’g’’ of part three, and Article 244² (Establishing, leading, or participating in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist, or other banned organizations), part two, of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Investigations are currently underway.

It is worth noting that earlier, more than 20 individuals influenced by extremist ideologies were also detained in the Surkhandarya region.