Kazakh special services dismantle radical group spreading extremist content

Kazakhstan’s special services have successfully neutralized a group of religious radicals suspected of inciting discord and distributing extremist materials in the southern part of the country.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, officers from the anti-extremism unit, in collaboration with the National Security Committee, dismantled the activities of a group based in Maktaaral district, who were united by radical religious beliefs, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

The group was found to be spreading content on social media that insulted the religious sentiments of followers from other faiths and demeaned the dignity of individuals.

The leaders of the group were distributing audio and video materials that had been legally classified as extremist by the courts. During the operation, authorities seized over 20 units of religious literature, narcotics, as well as illegal weapons and ammunition. The Interior Ministry confirmed that the group’s members had been arrested in accordance with a court order.

In a related operation, Kazakh law enforcement also discovered more than 30 caches of weapons and ammunition during a three-day search, including items stolen during the January 2022 riots.

Earlier, Kazakhstan handed down sentences to those accused of organizing the January 2022 riots.

By Vafa Guliyeva