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Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee (KNB) has prevented a terrorist attack in Almaty, the agency’s press service reported.
The attack was thwarted at the preparation stage back in September, though the information has only now been made public. It was allegedly planned by five foreign nationals, all of whom have been arrested. An investigation is ongoing, but no further details have been released.
According to the KNB, in September and October this year, eight Kazakh citizens were also detained on suspicion of promoting terrorism. During the same period, six people were sentenced to various prison terms for terrorist and extremist crimes, the press service added.
Since the beginning of the year, 89 individuals, including six foreigners, have been prosecuted in Kazakhstan for similar offenses.
Last year, the KNB reported foiling four terrorist plots in the country, though details were disclosed for only two of them. In April 2024, security officers in Aktau arrested a follower of radical religious ideology who was found with components for an explosive device packed with shrapnel. He allegedly planned to carry out an attack on a government institution in the Mangystau region and was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
In November of the same year, the KNB detained another suspect and his accomplices who were preparing an attack on a facility of the penal system.
Overall, in 2024, 84 people were convicted and 44 detained in Kazakhstan on charges related to terrorism and extremism, according to the KNB.
