The Russian men are thought to be part of the radical Palestinian movement Fatah al-Islam and could face the death penalty if found guilty.

Russian diplomats are expected to meet Lebanese authorities on Monday to clarify the situation.

Lebanon has been gripped by a recent wave of violence including terror acts in one of the country's Palestinian refugee camps. Terrorists took control of one of the camps in May, while Lebanese military forces fought to remove them. It left about 420 people dead. In August, information appeared that Fatah al-Islam could be an affiliation of Al Qaeda.

Dr Imad Rizk is writing a book about the Islamist group, known as Fatah al-Islam. Its members are known to come from across the Arab world.

“Maybe there are some 12 to 50 persons came to Lebanon to have lessons about how they can make special attacks. When they finish the preparation, maybe, they will go to Chechnya, Pakistan, or Uzbekistan to make special attacks,” he said.

Rumours of Russians fighting in Lebanon have been circulating inside the country for some time. But the Russian Embassy in Beirut says it still needs to verify that this is the case. If true, the four men will become the first known non-Arab foreigners to be members of Fatah al-Islam accused of serious charges.

“We were greatly surprised by this news because until now we have not had information like this; no one from the Russian citizens took part in this battle and standoff between Lebanese troops and Fatah al Islam,” noted Vladimir Cherepanov, the press attaché at the Russian Embassy in Lebanon.

Meantime, some 10,000 Russian citizens live in Lebanon. The ties between the countries are strong. And while it is not uncommon for Muslims from former Soviet republics and Russia to join militant Islamic groups, the latest revelations point to the ever-increasing threat of global terrorism.

Source: Russia Today