On October 13, Lasha Maghradze, the Deputy Head of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG), announced the arrest of three Georgian citizens in the western Adjara region on terrorism-related charges connected to the Islamic State group. During the briefing, Maghradze stated that the detainees were members of the so-called "Takbirist Jamaat," which was founded on a terrorist ideology and maintained ties with "influential leaders of the terrorist organization Islamic State abroad". He emphasized that the group had been acting under the instructions of these foreign leaders and had created an organization based on radical extremist ideas "under the guise of a Jamaat".

Maghradze noted that the suspects displayed "particular aggression" toward followers of other religions and had planned to illegally bring influential members of the Islamic State into Georgia. Their intention, he explained, was to establish a foothold in the country that would enable them to receive and accommodate associates, provide logistical support, and use Georgia’s territory as a transit route for terrorist purposes.

According to Maghradze, the security operation led to the seizure of "items depicting terrorist symbols, explosives, large quantities of ammunition and firearms, military equipment, mobile phones and other electronic data storage devices, significant amounts of cash in various currencies, and other evidence important to the investigation".