The purpose of the network was to smuggle people, not bring in terrorists, one of the officials said.
There was specific “derogatory information” linking those individuals to ISIS, the official said.
In the latest case, the 400 migrants under scrutiny – mostly from Central Asian nations – are being screened purely because of their connection to the human smuggling network.
The leadership of ISIS-K is mainly made up of Tajik nationals and the group has recruited from both countries.
Tajik nationals have carried out a series of recent attacks in Europe on behalf of the group, including the Crocus Hall attack in Moscow in March that killed more than 100 people.
Persons:
Alejandro Mayorkas, ”, Mayorkas, CNN’s Evan Perez
Organizations:
CNN, Department of Homeland Security, ISIS, Central, Homeland, NBC News, Crocus, US, MSNBC
Locations:
Central, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Europe, Moscow, United States, Kazakhstan