Five individuals suspected of forming a “terrorist organisation” linked to the Islamic State (IS) have been charged in North Macedonia, authorities announced on Wednesday.
The Interior Ministry’s organised crime department coordinated with the National Security Agency and prosecutors to identify those behind “online applications” allegedly promoting the creation of a terrorist organisation.
According to officials, the suspects are accused of running an online group between 2024 and 2026 that publicly called for the establishment of a terrorist organisation grounded in IS ideology and linked to similar extremist groups.
Two of the suspects were placed in pre-trial detention on Tuesday, while the other three were already serving prison sentences for terrorism-related offences.
Searches were conducted at several locations, including Skopje, the capital, and the prison housing three of the suspects, where authorities discovered and confiscated electronic equipment.
In May, seven people were arrested for allegedly belonging to a radical group connected to IS, following an arson attack that damaged the entrance to a synagogue in Skopje. No casualties were reported.
At the time, police charged two individuals with terrorism-related crimes.
Over the past two years, North Macedonian authorities have detained around a dozen people suspected of ties to Islamic State.
