Georgia’s State Security Service (SSG) has arrested two individuals — one Georgian national and a foreigner from an undisclosed country — in Batumi for having alleged links to the Islamic State.
The two were arrested as part of a joint operation between the SSG and the Counter Terrorism Centre.
The SSG has shared footage of the pair’s arrest, showing law enforcement officers apprehending them in broad daylight in Batumi. Footage included blurred out maps of the Mediterranean basin.
According to the SSG, the agency was ‘aware’ of the two detainees and had prior information about their entry to Georgia and its purpose.
‘They arrived in Georgia separately and settled in a rented apartment’, the agency’s statement read.
They established that the suspects had ‘joined the ranks’ of the Islamic State, taped an oath of allegiance, and declared unconditional obedience to the terrorist organisation’s leadership.
The SSG’s investigation established that they intended to travel to an unspecified third country to join the ranks of the Islamic State.
During their arrest, the law enforcement seized electronic devices, unregistered SIM cards, mobile phones, Islamic State symbols, masks, and personal documents.
They are being charged with joining a foreign terrorist organisation and aiding terrorism, and could face between 10 to 17 years of imprisonment.
Yousef Bardouka
