Moscow ? An American journalist said Saturday that interrogators alleging she has information about attacks in southern Russia have confiscated her notebooks, tapes and computer hard drives, threatened her and subjected her to long rounds of questioning.

Kelly McEvers, a 35-year-old, New York-based freelance journalist, arrived in the southern region of Dagestan two weeks ago to research the impact of Islamic extremism. She said Saturday that her interrogators’ aim appeared to be identifying and harassing her sources in Russia’s restive North Caucasus region, which she began visiting in March 2005.

Regional Interior Ministry spokeswoman Anzhela Martirosova, who had said Friday that McEvers had been detained, said Saturday that she had no information about the matter.

McEvers said she was detained for questioning for 10 hours on Wednesday, six hours Thursday and 10 hours Friday.