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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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| Information | | |
Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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10Jan22
Two extremist cells involved in mass riots neutralized in Kazakhstan’s Almaty
Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee neutralized two extremist cells that had a hand in the recent nationwide riots, the Committee’s press office announced Monday.
"The NSC [National Security Committee] of the Republic of Kazakhstan is carrying out measures to search for and arrest those who participated in the mass riots and carried out acts of terrorism, as well as to clarify the circumstances of the crimes committed. As a result, two extremist cells whose adherents actively took part in the Almaty riots between January 4 and 8, 2022, have been neutralized," the statement says.
According to the committee, the ringleader of one cell, a foreign citizen, had connections to foreign terrorist groups.
"According to the investigation, he deliberately arrived in Kazakhstan in order to devise mass illegal action and attacks on the authorities and law enforcement. The search for his accomplices is underway," the press service said, adding that further information will not be disclosed in the interest of the investigation.
The committee also debunked reports about the alleged theft of weapons, ammunition, and other property from the Almaty branch of the National Security Committee.
"The department is operating in a beefed-up security regimen in compliance with the guidelines for the red level terrorist threat," the National Security Committee added.
Protests erupted in several Kazakh cities on January 2, escalating into mass riots with government buildings getting ransacked in several cities a few days later. The ensuing violence left scores of people injured, with fatalities also being reported. Subsequently, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev turned to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) requesting assistance from the Russia-led bloc. As a result, peacekeepers have already been deployed to Kazakhstan. Law and order, Kazakh authorities affirm, was restored to all of the country’s regions by the morning of January 7. Tokayev declared January 10 a day of national mourning.
[Source: Tass, Nur-Sultan, 10Jan22]
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