BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 2. Kazakhstan's National Security Committee, in coordination with the prosecution authorities, has detained 10 people in a single operation in the city of Atyrau as part of a pre-trial investigation conducted on October 30, 2026, according to the committee.
"They are suspected of creating and leading an extremist group, participating in its activities, as well as propagating terrorism and inciting religious discord," the statement said.
According to the investigation, the members of the group allegedly sought to violently change the foundations of the constitutional order in western Kazakhstan.
During searches at the suspects' residences, law enforcement officers seized firearms, drugs, religious paraphernalia, literature, and other material evidence.
The activities of three underground educational centers established by the group for children and adolescents were also stopped.
Several members of the group had previously been convicted of terrorist and other criminal offenses.
No further information is subject to disclosure in accordance with Article 201 of Kazakhstan's Criminal Procedure Code.
The National Security Committee oversees the unified system of Kazakhstan's national security agencies and is responsible for intelligence, counterintelligence, and operational-search activities, as well as the protection of the country's state border. Its responsibilities also include carrying out the tasks of the Government Communications Service and Special Purpose Service A, coordinating activities across agencies in areas within its remit, and implementing a unified policy on the protection of state secrets.
