Kazakhstan arrested a Russian accused of recruiting citizens of Tajikistan and stateless persons to take part in armed conflicts. This arrest comes three weeks after the Crocus City Hall massacre near Moscow, claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.
Around one million Tajiks travel to Russia each year, a number that is increasing. At the beginning of 2024, President Emomali Rakhmon declared that 2,300 Tajik had joined IS since 2015. The man has been wanted internationally since September 2023 for illegal recruitment, according to a source in the Kazakh secret service. The question of his extradition is ongoing, says the source, and the Kazakh police say they are working to extradite the man to the United States. The arrest of the Russian citizen was made on April 11 in Almaty, upon the arrival of a flight from Vnukovo (one of Moscow's airports), officers of the transport police and the KNB said on their Telegram channel.