ASTANA. May 20 (Interfax) - The Muslim Spiritual Board of Kazakhstan has condemned Tuesday's suicide bombing in the western Kazakh city of Aktobe and called on the authorities to keep a close eye on radical religious groups.
"The explosion that hit the building of the National Security Committee's department for the Aktobe region on May 17 shocked our entire country," Director of the Board's Executive Office Kairat Zholdybayuly said.
"The Muslim Spiritual Board of Kazakhstan is categorically opposed to such instances of bloodshed. All we need is unity, consolidation and peaceful life," he said.
"So far, there is no official information confirming that this incident, which has no precedents in our history, was religiously motivated," Zholdybayuly said.
However, "radical religious groups could stand behind what happened," he said.
"Islam condemns such terrorist acts. We think that the state should start to control all unauthorized religious organizations and radical groups as soon as possible," he said.
"We, for our part, have repeatedly forwarded appropriate proposals to the agencies in charge of these issues," Zholdybayuly said.
Local resident Rakhimzhan Makatov, 25, detonated a low-yield improvised explosive device in the building of the Kazakh National Security Committee's branch for the Aktobe region on May 17, killing himself and injuring two more people.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, Makatov could have decided to blow himself up in order to avoid going to prison for committing a series of crimes within an organized criminal group.