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Tajik police suspect Islamist party behind deadly car ramming attack on tourists

Two US citizens, one Swiss national and one Dutch citizen were killed in the ramming attack

TASS, July 31. /TASS/. The Interior Ministry has blamed the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRP) for the deadly July 29 automobile attack on foreign tourists in the Central Asian republic, the Asia Plus news portal reported on Tuesday citing the government bureau.

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The ministry reported that a gang headed by Husein Abdusamadov had carried out the attack. The ringleader, who has been taken into custody, confirmed that in 2014-2015 he underwent ideological and military training in Iran. "There he met Nosirhudzha Ubaydov dubbed Kori-Nosir and joined the IRP (Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan) extremist group," the news portal quoted the ministry’s statement.

At around 3:30 pm (1:30 pm) on July 29, a car carrying four people plowed into a group of seven cyclists in the Dangarinsky district, in western Tajikistan’s Khatlon Region. Two US citizens, one Swiss national and one Dutch citizen were killed in the ramming attack.

The Interior Ministry said on Monday that all individuals wanted for that terror attack were liquidated. The extremists had made plans to cross the border after carrying out the act of terror, it stated.

According to the ministry, Nosirhudzha Ubaydov, who joined the IRP extremist group in 1992, and had been on a wanted list since 2015, masterminded the attack.

Earlier, the Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia) claimed responsibility for the fatal car ramming.

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