Terror suspect held by Russia Armenian from Kazakhstan
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 8 April 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Terror suspect held by Russia Armenian from Kazakhstan, 8 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5768fff531.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
April 08, 2016
By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service
A man detained by Russian authorities in July for allegedly trying to join the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria has been identified as an ethnic Armenian from Kazakhstan.
Officials at Russia's North Caucasus Regional Military Court told RFE/RL on April 8 that 24-year-old Vazgen Zargarian from Almaty was currently in a pretrial detention center in the city of Rostov-on-Don.
Zargarian has been charged with the intention of joining the extremist group and preparing to take part in terrorism-related activities abroad.
Investigators said Zargarian tried at least twice to join up with IS militants in Syria through the Turkish border.
Central Asian states have said that hundreds of their citizens have joined IS extremists and other militant groups in Syria and Iraq.
The majority of ethnic Armenians are Christians.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website