Eleven radicals arrested over case of terror attack preparation in Kazakhstan, 1 dies during arrest - source
KARAGANDA. June 29 (Interfax) - Eleven followers of the non-traditional religious movement have been arrested in the Karaganda region of Kazakhstan on suspicion of preparation of terrorist attack, a source with the knowledge of the situation told Interfax on Wednesday.
The youngest of arrested individuals is aged 30 years, and the oldest one is 39, the source said.
The residents of a building on Shkolnaya Street in the village of Gulshat were evacuated during a special operation on June 26, the source said. During the arrest "an explosion of unidentified explosive device has occurred" in the building's attic, following which a follower of the non-traditional religious movement, aged 36, has died.
Later, religious literature, memory cards and mobile phones were seized in a building at the Balkhash station, and "a chemical recipe for nitroglycerine, acid, solvent, starter relay, electric wires" have been found in an apartment on Bokeykhanov Street. This fact has been recorded in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations under the Article 'Illegal acquisition, transfer, possession of firearms and ammunition' of the Kazakh Criminal Code.
Earlier, the Kazakh National Security Committee press service reported that the activity of a radical group, which planned terrorist attacks using improvised explosive devices, had been terminated in the city of Balkhash and the village of Gulshat in the Karaganda region on June 26. During the arrest in the village of Gulshat one of the terrorists blew himself up and died of inflicted injuries. There were no other casualties.
The moderate "yellow" level of terrorist threat has been declared for 40 days in Kazakhstan since June 6 following the extremist attack at Aktobe, the administrative center of the Aktobe region of Kazakhstan.
On June 5, a group of religious radicals attacked two weapons stores and a military unit in Aktobe. Seven people were killed, including three military servicemen and four civilians.
The extremists were killed or arrested during the counter-terrorist operation.
The operation for neutralizing the terrorists concluded on June 12.