Kazakhstan’s security service has detained ten people in the western city of Atyrau over an alleged plan to change the constitutional order by force, the Times of Central Asia reports.
Investigators also say the suspects operated three underground educational centers for children and teenagers.
The National Security Committee (KNB) announced on November 2 that the arrests took place on October 30. The operation was coordinated with the prosecutor’s office, and all ten suspects were detained simultaneously. Investigators suspect the detainees of creating, leading, or participating in an extremist group. The allegations also include promoting terrorism and inciting religious discord.
According to the KNB, the group sought to “forcibly change the foundations of the constitutional order” in western Kazakhstan. The authorities have not identified the group or disclosed a specific plan of attack.
Officers searched the suspects’ homes and seized firearms, drugs, religious items, literature, and other materials, the committee said. It released images and video from the operation, showing armed officers taking suspects into custody.
The three educational centers are a notable element of the investigation. The KNB said the suspected group established the facilities for children and teenagers and that officers had stopped their activities.
The committee gave no attendance figures or details of what the children were being taught. It also said several suspects had previously been convicted of terrorism-related or other criminal offenses.
In its announcement, the KNB cited Article 201 of Kazakhstan’s Criminal Procedure Code, which restricts the release of information during a pretrial investigation. The suspects’ identities have not been released.
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