DUSHANBE, October 21, 2015, Asia-Plus – Russian media outlets report a cell of the international terrorist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir has been eliminated in the Moscow region.

In statement released on October 20, the Russian Interior said that as a result of an operation, 97 people have been brought to interior-system bodies to be checked on the subject of involvement in unlawful activity and 20 members, including leaders of the extremist cell, have been arrested under Article 91 of the Russian Criminal Code.

The interior ministry said it had conducted a search of 24 addresses in the Moscow region where members of outlawed organization Hizbut Tahrir resided.

“The members of the extremist organization were recruiting new followers, distributing banned religious material and raising funds, including to help finance armed militants,” the ministry said in a statement.

According to Interax news agency, a source in law enforcement agencies said on Tuesday that around 20 supporters of the radical Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir (banned in Russia) have been arrested in the Moscow region and dozens of others have been checked on the subject of involvement in extremism.

Earlier on Tuesday, Moscow''s Lefortovo Court remanded Obidzhon Dzhurabayev and Abdukayum Makhsudov, who have been accused of recruiting people for a terrorist organization, into custody.

A court spokesman told  Interfax  that the court had ruled in favor of investigators'' request seeking a custodial term for the suspects.

According to the case files, the two face charges of organizing the activities of a terrorist organization (Part 1 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Penal Code).  They have been remanded into custody until December 13, 2015.