A Chechen asylum seeker suspected of preparing to join Islamist guerrillas in Syria has been arrested in Austria, police said Tuesday, nearly two weeks after they detained nine others.
European countries have tightened controls over potential jihadists travelling to and from Syria and Iraq ever since Islamic State (IS) combatants overran large swaths of Iraq in June.
Alarm soared after the group released a video last month showing an IS militant with a British accent beheading kidnapped US journalist James Foley.
Austrian police said in a statement that the 29-year-old man from Russia's troubled Chechnya province was arrested on Sunday in the northern town of Heidenreichstein and accused of belonging to a "terrorist organisation".
He is believed to have fought in Syria last year and came to Austria in December for medical treatment and to apply for asylum. He "had concrete plans to travel back to Syria," police spokesman Markus Haindl told AFP.
The Austrian government believes some 130 people, 40 of them Austrian nationals, have joined the jihadist forces, are heading to join, or have returned. Nine people were arrested last month.
Rights group Amnesty International on Tuesday accused IS of "systematic ethnic cleansing" in northern Iraq, saying they have carried out "war crimes, including mass summary killings and abductions".
GMT 09:59 2017 Monday ,25 December
Turkey joins Russia and Iran in supporting SyriaGMT 09:05 2017 Monday ,25 December
Russia’s Lavrov calls on US and North Korea to start talksGMT 15:16 2017 Wednesday ,01 November
Spanish Police Arrest Moroccan Citizen Allegedly Belonging to ISISGMT 10:36 2017 Wednesday ,01 November
Manhattan truck attack kills 8, note on allegiance to ISIS discoveredGMT 20:15 2017 Tuesday ,31 October
Egypt backs Bahrain's security decisionGMT 19:59 2017 Tuesday ,31 October
Arab Parliament condemns terror attack in BahrainGMT 14:48 2017 Tuesday ,31 October
10 terror suspects sentenced to life in jailGMT 16:55 2017 Sunday ,29 October
Under US pressure, Israel delays move to expand JerusalemMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor