Updated

Police in Moldova have detained several people suspected of being Islamic State group followers who were planning to go to Syria to fight.

Authorities didn't give an exact number of suspects taken into custody on Tuesday, saying they were part of a larger group of 11 people that included women and children.

Moldova's deputy police chief, Gheorghe Cavaliuc, said Wednesday that the male suspects planned to travel with the women and children as cover for the journey to Syria.

Cavaliuc says some of the suspects are Chechnya and Tajikistan nationals. A North Caucasian man was allegedly carrying a forged passport.

Police say a man and a woman with Russian citizenship have been expelled, and the man told police he was planning to travel to Syria to fight.