Policemen patrol on a square in Makhachkala, capital city of the Dagestan Republic, Russia, June 24, 2013. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)

MOSCOW, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said Tuesday it had detained five people trying to recruit for the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in the country's Republic of Dagestan in the North Caucasus region.

During a police raid on Monday, the five recruiters were nabbed in Dagestan's capital city of Makhachkala for inciting the local people to join the IS in Syria, according to an FSB press release.

The FSB seized a large number of explosive devices, firearms and ammunition, which the detainees planned to use for terrorist attacks in North Caucasus.

Dagestan is a hotbed of insurgency as it is close to the conflict-ridden Middle East. Repeated violent attacks have plagued the region for years.