Russian authorities detained 300 Muslims, including 170 foreigners, on Friday after President Vladimir Putin ordered a crackdown on radical Islamists ahead of next year’s Winter Olympics, Fox News reported.
The Muslims were held at a prayer room in Moscow, and Islamist literature was confiscated, police said, according to Radio Free Europe.
It is the third time this year such a raid has been ordered, targeting Muslim places of worship, Reuters reported.
Mr. Putin told a meeting of security force officers on Friday that the “fight against corruption, crime and the insurgency has to be carried out harshly and consistently.”
He said “the situation in the North Caucasus should be kept under particular control,” Radio Free Europe reported.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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