Macedonia arrests 9 suspected jihadists planning to fight in Syria and Iraq

“In a major police action, several people were arrested as suspects of being part of paramilitary formations in Syria and in other regions of conflicts, as well as persons who have recruited Macedonian nationals ” said Koteski.

Even so, around a dozen Albanians have reportedly been killed in Syria after swearing allegiance to Islamic State; Thursday’s raids were carried out in mostly Albanian communities. About 130 Macedonian citizens are believed to have joined foreign militant groups, and 16 have been killed while fighting, Minister Cavkov said. During the search, police confiscated computers, phones, a gas pistol and financial receipts.

It is being carried out in the Skopje districts of Gazi Baba and Cair, as well as in the towns of Struga and Kumanovo, where several people have been detained. The locations included private homes, as well as offices of a humanitarian and an NGO group.

Among the arrested are Macedonian citizens, with many probably still in battlefields inSyria, Macedonian Minister of Interior Mitko Chavkov told a press conference in Skopje Thursday. Police suspect him to be one of the main ideologists and organizers of the IS recruiting process.

Chavkov said there is a risk that IS supporters might organize attacks on Macedonian soil. They’re suspected of being volunteers or recruiters for the group to struggle in Syria and Iraq. Most ethnic Albanians are Muslim, but practice a moderate form of Islam.