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ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — A court in Russia's second-largest city has ordered the spiritual leader of the city's branch of the Church of Scientology held in detention for two months.
The spiritual leader ordered held on Thursday, Ivan Matsisky, was among five members of the church arrested Tuesday during a raid on the organization's offices in St. Petersburg.
They have been charged with participation in an extremist community, incitement of hatred and illegal business activities.
In 2015, a court ordered the Church of Scientology's Moscow operation to be dissolved, saying it could not be considered a religious organization.
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