July 9, 2016 Faith Matters

Macedonian police arrest four suspected of Islamic State links

Macedonian police said they arrested four people on Saturday believed to have fought alongside Islamic State insurgents in Syria and Iraq, and were looking for another three.

Officers detained the group in the capital Skopje and the city of Tetovo and seized computers, mobile phones and passports, police official Dejana Nedeljkovic told local media.

Authorities in the former Yugoslav republic estimate as many as 130 of its citizens have fought or are currently fighting alongside Islamist groups in Syria and Iraq.

A Macedonian court sentenced six people, including an imam, to up to seven years in prison each in March for joining the fight or recruiting others.