NUR-SULTAN, January 13. /TASS/. The members of the Border Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan have detained four citizens of the Central Asian Region on suspicion of being involved in disturbances in Almaty, the National Security Committee’s press service reported on Thursday.
"The Border Service, interacting with the territorial subunits of the National Security Committee with the involvement of the Arlan special subunit of the Interior Ministry, is undertaking active search measures in the Almaty Region. As a result, eight people were detained on suspicion of being involved in disturbances and the attack on the police department of the city of Taldykorgan and eight [people], including four CAR (Central Asian Region - TASS) citizens, possibly involved in the disturbances and looting in the city of Almaty," the statement said. The National Security Committee’s press service told a TASS correspondent that CAR stands for the Central Asian Region.
According to the agency, the detainees were handed over to police subunits.
The press service also said that on January 11, during the registration for a flight from Turkistan to Istanbul, a Kazakh citizen was detained who participated in rallies in Kyzylorda and was disseminating information urging residents to participate in disorders via social networks. The detainee was handed over to the transit police of the city of Shymkent.
"On January 10, in the Kostanay Region, at the Ubagan checkpoint (automotive) within the framework of preventive actions, P, a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan born in 1986 was detained, a resident of the city of Taraz. During the inspection, his photograph in the special uniform of power structures was discovered on his phone," the press service added. The individual was also handed over to the police for questioning.
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.