DUSHANBE, April 16, 2014, Asia-Plus -- Two alleged members of an Islamist group in Tajikistan''s northern city of Khujand have gone on trial on money extortion charges, Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported on April 15.

Investigators say Firouz Qurbonov and Fathullo Rajabov are members of the Lashkar-i-Islam (Army of Islam) group, a militant Islamist organization established in Pakistan in 2004.

According to the investigators, the two men were members of a local criminal group involved in money extortion. No more details were available.

The trial, which began on April 14, is being held behind closed doors in a local detention center.

Qurbonov and Rajabov were arrested in January on their arrival from the United Arab Emirates, where they were hiding after several of their alleged associates had been detained in summer last year.

Three alleged members of the group were sentenced to prison terms between 10 and 11 years in December.