DUSHANBE -- In the first six months of 2017, Tajik authorities arrested 228 citizens for suspected connections with terrorist groups, Interior Minister Ramazon Razkhimzoda said in a Friday (July 21) news conference, according to avesta.tj.
Tajik law enforcement prevented 12 terrorist acts in the first half of 2017, said Rakhimzoda, adding that 104 of the 228 detainees had ties to the "Islamic State" (IS).
So far this year, 13 Tajiks have abandoned IS in the Middle East and have returned home, he said, adding that they have been spared prosecution in accordance with the law. Tajik law waives prosecution for ex-militants who surrender voluntarily and are not wanted for other crimes.
