MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Almost 1,500 militants, suspected of trying to join extremist groups, were declared wanted and 195 were convicted in Russia in 2015, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said Tuesday.
"We have continued the prompt tracking of citizens going abroad to participate in armed conflicts," Kolokoltsev said.
According to the minister, more than 3,400 such persons are currently being monitored by Russian law enforcement personnel.
"1793 criminal cases have been initiated in relation to them. Almost 1,500 fighters were declared wanted and 195 were convicted," Kolokoltsev told the board of the ministry.
29 January 2016, 10:15 GMT
In December, Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Alexander Bortnikov said that over 770 people suspected of being terrorists or terrorist collaborators had been detained by Russian law enforcement in 2015, with a total of 30 terrorism-related crimes thwarted.
According to Bortnikov, over 100 Russians were prevented from departing for Syria and Iraq to join jihadist groups there and over 1,000 Russian citizens have been the subjects of criminal investigations for suspected involvement in terrorist activities abroad.
