"The group had over forty members," the Uzbek Interior Ministry told Interfax on Tuesday.

The group’s leader was a man who had regularly traveled to one of the Arab countries pretending to be a businessman.

"In reality, he joined the religious and extremist movement Hizb ut-Tahrir. His foreign instructors not only gave him theoretical knowledge, but also gave him a lot of special literature and videos promoting extremist activities," said the ministry.

A preliminary investigation has shown that the man had founded a group in Tashkent that was aimed at creating a single Islamic state in Uzbekistan.

"Members of the group acted in strict conspiracy, but the law enforcement agencies managed to detain their leader and virtually all its members," said the ministry.

A criminal case has been opened.