Georgian police arrest US-Uzbek national wanted in US terrorism case

Georgian authorities have arrested a dual US and Uzbek citizen wanted internationally by US law enforcement on terrorism-related charges, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

The arrest was carried out by officers from the Interior Ministry's Central Criminal Police Department and Georgia's Prosecutor General's Office in close coordination with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), under a joint declaration signed with representatives of the US State Department.

The man was wanted in the United States on charges related to conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, providing material support and attempting to provide such support, the Interior Ministry said.

He was arrested by Georgia's Organized Crime Division at Tbilisi International Airport after arriving in Georgia from another country, the MIA press office added.

According to US law enforcement authorities, the suspect allegedly established a group in the United States to support a foreign terrorist organisation and created and led a financial support network for the same purpose.

The group allegedly provided material, technical and financial support to terrorist organisations operating in Syria, including Islamic State.

The Interior Ministry also said the suspect had encouraged individuals to travel to Syria to fight and offered them assistance in doing so.

The suspect is currently subject to extradition proceedings under Georgian law, the ministry said.

Georgia's Interior Ministry said it had maintained close cooperation with US law enforcement agencies for many years in combating various forms of crime.