A preacher from Dagestan denies his involvement in terrorist financing

The money raised in Northern Caucasus is used to help people, states Abu Umar Sasitlinsky. He has denied the information on financing militants from the "Islamic State"* and the "Jabhat-an-Nusra"*.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 13, the Russian FSB reported about the arrests of seven persons suspected of raising more than 38 million roubles for militants of the "Islamic State" and "Jabhat-an-Nusra", terrorist organizations banned in Russia by the court.

A conspiratorial network, intended to provide financial support for terrorists, "was organized by I.S. Akhmednabiev, a supporter of radical Islam, who stayed abroad to avoid investigation," the FSB reported.

The "Details of the explosion in Nazran. The evening with Timur Olevsky" TV show prepared by the "Nastoyaschee Vremya" TV Channel, posted on its website on December 13, covered the detention of seven natives of Northern Caucasus. Authors of the TV show tried to understand the version reported by the FSB and also mentioned the point of view voiced by Israil Akhmednabiev.

"Israil Akhmednabiev, whom the FSB and the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) call the leader of the criminal grouping, is well known in Russia under another name: Abu Umar Sasitlinsky. He is a well-known Muslim preacher, a native of Dagestan," the TV show notes.

"After the outbreak of hostilities in Syria, he opened a charitable foundation and, according to him, assisted those in need in various Muslim countries. The Russian secret services accuse him of supporting terrorism, and that is why he had to leave Russia. He spent several years in various countries of Africa," notes the TV show.

Meanwhile, in his interview to the TV Channel, Abu Umar Sasitlinsky has denied his involvement in the financing of terrorist organizations in Syria and Iraq. He has emphasized he has no contacts with militants.

* Terrorist organizations banned in Russia by the court

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 17, 2018 at 05:25 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.