ASTANA. Sept 5 (Interfax) - A Russian military unit stationed near Balkhash was a target of the extremists detained in Kazakhstan's Karaganda region in June, the Kazakh National Security Committee said on Monday.
"Members of the group [apprehended in the Karaganda region] were plotting terror attacks in territory of Kazakhstan. They chose several targets, including a Russian military unit stationed near Balkhash," materials posted at a Monday press briefing in Astana said.
The activity of two interrelated radical rings was stopped in the Karaganda region in June 2016. "Kazakh militants were coordinating their joint operations from abroad," the report said.
"The terrorist plot was thwarted by a special services operation. Vigilant locals helped national security agencies a lot," it said.
Kazakh security services stopped the activity of a radical group plotting to use improvised explosive devices for terror attacks in the towns of Balkhash and Gulshat in the Karaganda region in June. Eight suspects were taken into custody. One terrorist blew himself up and died during detention in Gulshat.
A pretrial inquiry was launched on counts of 'forming and leading a terrorist ring', 'illegal acquisition, transfer, distribution, possession, transportation or carrying of firearms, ammunition and explosives by a group' and 'illegal production of weapons' pursuant to the Kazakh Penal Code.