TBILISI, October 13 – Georgia’s State Security Service announced Monday that three Georgian citizens have been arrested in the Black Sea region of Adjara on charges of joining a foreign terrorist organization and assisting terrorist activity.
The operation was carried out by the agency’s Counterterrorism Center under court orders, simultaneously across five different locations in Adjara. Deputy Security Service chief Lasha Maghradze said the arrests followed a months-long investigation into suspected terrorist links.
According to Maghradze, the detained men were members of a group adhering to a radical ideology known as takfirism and had ties to influential foreign leaders of the Islamic State organization. Investigators say the group had formed a jamaat, a small extremist cell, on Georgian territory under the guidance of Islamic State figures abroad, with the goal of creating a base for future terrorist activities.
The suspects allegedly planned to illegally bring senior ISIS members into Georgia, help them establish a local foothold, and provide logistical support, including accommodation and transport, for their associates. Authorities say the cell was marked by “particular aggression” toward followers of other religions.
Security officers seized a large cache of materials during dawn raids on Sunday, including explosives, firearms, ammunition, military gear, ISIS-related symbols, mobile phones, and electronic storage devices, as well as large sums of cash in various currencies.
The investigation is ongoing under Articles 236 and 328 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which cover the illegal possession of weapons and ammunition, participation in a foreign terrorist organization, and assisting terrorist activity. If convicted, the defendants face up to 17 years in prison.
