Finland-based man sentenced to 12 years in Belgium for ISIS terrorism plot

A man living in Finland has received a 12-year prison sentence in Belgium for his role in a terrorist plot linked to the Islamic State group. The court in Antwerp convicted Ruslan Meyriev on Tuesday for financing terrorism and planning an explosive attack as a senior figure in ISIS-K, the Central Asian branch of the radical Islamist organization.

Meyriev, who resides in the Helsinki metropolitan area, was one of seven individuals sentenced, with punishments ranging from 5 to 15 years. He denies the charges, and his defense claims the accusations are based on flawed information originating from an international arrest warrant issued by Russia. Meyriev, originally from Russia's North Caucasus region, fled to Ukraine in 2012 and later to Finland, where he was granted asylum in August 2023, with Finnish authorities not considering him a security threat at the time.

The Belgian court found that Meyriev participated in terrorist activities from Finland, including contacting an individual in Belgium and requesting the purchase of hydrogen peroxide, a precursor for explosives. Police found five bottles of the substance at the contact's home. While the court found no evidence of a planned attack in Europe, the materials were apparently intended for transport to the North Caucasus.

Separately, Finland's National Bureau of Investigation is conducting its own preliminary investigation into at least five men known to Meyriev. These men, also residing in the capital region, are suspected of collaborating with Meyriev. Three were briefly detained in the fall of 2024, but no charges have been filed against them yet. The investigation has been ongoing for over 18 months.