TBILISI (Sputnik) — On Sunday, the Georgian Rustavi 2 TV channel reported that a 23-year-old man was arrested by special forces in the west of the country for allegedly being affiliated with Daesh. Three more men had been arrested before the special operation was conducted. The intelligence service did not confirm the raids immediately.
"On the basis on the warrants, 11 homes have been raided. During the search, hand grenades, pistols, live cartridges, memory cards, CD and DVD discs and the flags of Islamic State were seized. In the course of our operations, four people have been detained. They were charged under Part 2 of Article 236 of the Criminal Code of Georgia [regarding illegal possession of firearms, ammunition or explosives]," the deputy head of Georgia’s State Security Service, Levan Izoria, said at a press briefing.
Last week, Izoria said there were up to 50 Georgian citizens fighting alongside extremist groups in Syria, adding that there were pro-IS websites in the Georgian language. The official pledged to address the court in the coming days so that such online sites would be banned from ISPs in the country.
In June, four people were detained in Tbilisi and Kakheti, accused of joining Daesh and recruiting Georgians to fight in Syria.
