Religious-nationalist sect eliminated in Tatarstan

Kazan, Russia - A Turkish religious-nationalist sect called Nurdzhular was eliminated in Tatarstan, a source in the Tatar FSB press service told Interfax.

FSB and Interior Ministry officers found over 5,000 radical books, video and audio tapes in the sect members' apartments, the source said.

Over 20 apartments were searched as part of a criminal case on sowing enmity and discord, which opened in March.

Part of the materials found in the apartments was aimed at interracial and religious discord, the source said.

A network of underground schools was discovered, where Tatar citizens, including children, were educated in the spirit of religious fundamentalism.

The teachers in these establishments did not have the appropriate certificates, and many of them were Turkish citizens, the source said. The investigation discovered that these teachers propagandized the activity of guerilla groups.

The Tatarstan division of the sect was headed by the Turkish citizen Ajar Tahsin, a Turkish immigrant. He recently stood trial for violating the administrative code and was extradited from Russia.

All of the items seized during the searches were sent away for analysis.

According to the source, the organization tried several times to create a network in Russia by opening divisions in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk, Makhachkala, Chelyabinsk, Kostroma, Omsk and other cities.