Russia detains members of banned extremist group

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Friday that together with the police and National Guard, it had detained a leader and five members of the Tablighi Jamaat religious organization, which has been banned in Russia as an extremist group, reported Xinhua.

The group, detained in the Volgograd region in southern Russia, was charged with "organizing activities of an extremist organization," the FSB said in a statement.

A significant amount of literature classified as "extremist," as well as documents showing the group's involvement in the organization, were found during searches in their residences, the statement said.

Tablighi Jamaat, or "Those Who Preach," is also known as the "Society for Spreading Faith."

The group claims to be apolitical but is banned in several countries, including Russia, where the Supreme Court outlawed it in 2009, calling it an extremist organization which had made statements aimed at inciting national, racial and religious hatred.