KHUJAND, February 3, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Investigation into the case of Idris Sattorov, alleged activist of the cell of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) in Sughd’s Isfara district, has begun in the Sughd province, the source at the Sughd police directorate told Asia-Plus Wednesday afternoon.

Criminal proceedings have been instituted against Sattorov under the provisions of three articles of Tajikistan’s Penal Code – Article 104, Part 2 (killing), Article 187, Part 2 (organization of criminal grouping) and Article 255, Part 2 (deliberate destruction of property by means of arson or explosion), the source said.

According to him, the preliminary investigation has established that Sattorov was also an active member of the Bay’at group.

Bay''at, a group the Tajik government has labeled extremist, was reportedly set up in 1992.  According to Tajik law enforcement authorities, many members of the group received religious education in Saudi Arabia.

“Idris Sattorov joined the Bay’at group in January 2004 at the call of the leader of Bay’at in Tajikistan Hodi Fattoyev, who is currently serving his sentence in prison, the source said.

As it had been reported earlier, Idris Sattorov, who was on the wanted list since March 2008, was detained by Kazakh border guards at the end of 2009 and Kazakh law enforcement authorities extradited him to Tajikistan on January 27 this year.