MOSCOW, November 20 (RAPSI) – The Russian Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a 6-year prison term given to Tajik citizen Umar Makhmadiyev for attempting to join the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist organization prohibited in Russia, the court’s press service told RAPSI.

The Leningrad District Military Court convicted and sentenced Makhmadiyev in August.

According to the case documents, in 2017, Makhmadiyev lived in the Leningrad Region working at a brick factory. In free time he communicated with a representative of the ISIS, who convinced him to leave Russia and come to a training camp in Afghanistan, the investigators noted.

On December 8, when the defendant was passing the passport control in an airport before leaving for Istanbul, he was arrested by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). Witnesses questioned in court said that the defendant was a radical Islamist.

The Islamic State, an organization banned in Russia, is currently one of the major threats to global security. Over three years, these terrorists have managed to seize large areas of Iraq and Syria. The organization is also attempting to spread its influence on North Africa – particularly, Libya. The area controlled by ISIS covers up to 90,000 square kilometers.