Tajik national Ilhom Sairahmonzoda, a native of Roudaki district, has been arrested in Rome on suspicion of connection with terrorist activities at the request of the Interior Ministry of Tajikistan, the Interior Ministry’s official website said on April 9.
The 32-year-old Ilhom Sairahmonzoda has reportedly been wanted by Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB) for Tajikistan since 2018 for terrorism-related crimes.
“Sairahmonzoda was arrested during the joint interaction of the parties,” says the Interior Ministry’s official website. “Currently, all necessary measures are being taken on extradition of Ilhom Sairahmonzoda to Tajikistan.”
Recall, Italian police said on April 8 that a Tajik man was arrested in Rome as he arrived from the Netherlands on suspicion of being a member of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.
The man, described as a fugitive targeted by an international arrest warrant, was reportedly stopped after landing at Rome’s Fiumicino airport from Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
Italian media identified the man as 32-year-old Ilhom Sairahmonzoda, adding that he was arrested at Tajikistan's request.
Reuters notes that the police statement reportedly did not say which country had issued the warrant for him. It said the suspect used several fake identities, including from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine.
The statement reportedly said the man was born in 1992 and had enrolled in 2014 as a foreign fighter for the IS terrorist group in Syria.
Italian authorities did not make any reference to Russia and to last month’s deadly attack on a concert hall outside Moscow, for which several Tajiks living in Russia have been arrested.
The Interpol National Central Bureau for Tajikistan is a sub-division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Staffed by nearly 20 officials, it is the essential link between Tajik national law enforcement and Interpol’s international law enforcement community, serving as the contact point for all Interpol investigations relating to Tajikistan or requiring action from Tajik police forces.
The General Assembly of Interpol voted in Mexico on 5 October, 2004 to accept Tajikistan as the organization's 182nd member state.
