Uzbek police say they’ve detained 20 people in the eastern region of Sirdaryo on suspicion of distributing “extremist materials” via the Telegram social-media app.
The region’s Interior Affairs Department said the suspects were apprehended on June 16 in the districts of Mirzaobod and Yangier.
Authorities said those detained were suspected of using the social-media app to distribute audio and video material that supports terrorist groups.
Police say they confiscated extremist literature, a handgun, and a sniper rifle from the suspects.
On June 15, authorities in the eastern region of Jizzakh said they apprehended a group that was planning unspecified terrorist acts in Syria.
Earlier in June, law enforcement officials in the city of Samarkand said they detained 14 local residents who were planning to travel to Syria to join terrorist groups.
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