Radicals planned to hijack aircraft in Kazakhstan

Almaty. September 6. Silkroadnews – The radicals detained in Almaty were planning to hijack a civilian or military aircraft, representative of Kazakhstan's Anti-Terrorist Centre Saken Mynbayev reported, KazTAG writes.

«A group of radicals planned the armed attacks on military units of the Border Service and Ministry of Defense, senior law enforcement officers and representatives of the Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Kazakhstan in Almaty region», S. Mynbayev said at the briefing in the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan in Astana on Monday.

According to him, on August 18 the security agency officers arrested members of a criminal group consisting of a citizen of Kyrgyzstan and two citizens of Kazakhstan with criminal records. One member of group planned to commit a suicide bombing.

«For greater resonance they considered options for the terrorist attacks in the crowded areas and carried out reconnaissance in Taldykorgan airport to search for possibility of hijacking a civil or military aircraft to commit a terrorist act similar to the attacks of September 11, 2001, in the U.S.», the representative of the Anti-terrorist center said.

He added, just before the terrorist attacks the detainees planned to shoot a video explaining their actions and put it on the Internet. The funds to acquire the firearms and ammunition they planned to get through the robbery.
The search revealed the chemical components for improvised explosive devices, submunitions and extremist literature.

At present the pretrial investigations are carried out on this case under Art. 256 (propaganda of terrorism) and 257 (creation and participation in the activities of a terrorist group) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan.