Two Members of Pussy Riot Among Group Arrested Near Sochi

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Members of the band Pussy Riot, Maria Alyokhina, left, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova attend the Cinema For Peace fundraising gala in Berlin during the International Film Festival Berlinale, Monday, Feb. 10, 2014. The two were reportedly arrested on Tuesday near Sochi.

Image: Axel Schmidt/Associated Press

By Jason Abbruzzese2014-02-18 12:01:04 UTC

Russian authorities have reportedly detained two members of the punk rock band Pussy Riot among a group of arrests near the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Reports from The Associated Press and Reuters confirmed tweets from Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina, who said they had been confronted by Russian security forces.

Activist Semyon Simonov tweeted that he and another nine people were arrested.

However NBC reporter Richard Engel said nine were arrested in total.

Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina had recently returned to Russia following a trip through the U.S. and Europe following their release from prison under a new amnesty law. They had been sentenced to two years for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred."

The pair had also recently run into criticism for their high profiles, particularly after their appearance at a concert in New York.

Tolokonnikova tweeted that the pair had been preparing a new protest song.

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Topics: Pussy Riot, Olympics, US & World, World