BISHKEK, November 12. /TASS/. Several people, former law enforcement officers among them, have been detained for plotting a coup in Kyrgyzstan, the country’s interior ministry said.

"Officers of the interior ministry’s criminal investigations directorate caught wind that a group of people was hatching plans to incite mass unrest and destabilize the political situation. The group was formed with the goal of staging a violent coup," it said. "Several members of the group are in custody."

According to investigators, on November 17, the date of the local elections, the suspects, using a national sports match as a cover, planned "to call for violence, advance anti-constitutional demands, and destabilize the situation" with the ultimate goal of "seizing power by force."

Among the detainees, whose names are being withheld due to the ongoing investigation, are a former deputy prosecutor general, and a foreign national who "took part in combat operations" abroad. This man was responsible for recruiting and inciting "physically fit individuals" to participate in riots. Another foreigner, who "took part in combat operations" abroad, is a specialist in operating unmanned aerial vehicles and is skilled in "making and using explosive devices."

The suspects have been charged with plotting mass riots and attempting to stage a violent coup, and those who are Kyrgyz nationals are charged with taking part in armed conflicts or combat operations in a foreign state.