BISHKEK. July 8 (Interfax) - A violent overthrow of government in Kyrgyzstan, prevented as a result of the arrest of five members of a destructive group, was scheduled to take place on August 31, the country's Independence Day, the State Committee for National Security said in a statement on Saturday.
The group was "planning a violent seizure of power in Kyrgyzstan on August 31," the statement said.
Its members, influenced by destructively minded political forces, had for months been planning to destabilize the socio-political situation in the country and stage mass riots in Bishkek, the Committee said.
"These people were planning to organize sport games near Bishkek on August 31, so as to concentrate a large number of young people from across the country, including the destructively minded forces prepared in advance. The plan was to invite certain opposition leaders to the event to act as provocateurs urging the crowd to march on Bishkek. Pre-prepared individuals from among destructively minded athletes and criminal elements, would then use the situation to lead those gathered to Bishkek, while staging mass riots on the way, accompanied by violence,, pogroms, arson, property destruction, use of firearms, explosive substances and resistance to representatives of authority, for the purpose of destabilizing the socio-political situation in the country and violent seizure of power," the statement said.
The group intended to seize a shooting sport range in order to get hold of firearms.
On Friday the Committee said it had arrested five Kyrgyz citizens and put a stop to a criminal group whose plans involved domestic destabilization and a coup.
The arrested suspects, whose names have been withheld and only referred to by initials, will remain in custody of the National Security Committee until August 21.
Searches of their home addresses led to the discovery of a firearm and the military ID card of Kyrgyz parliamentarian Marlen Mamataliyev.