Kazakhstan´s intelligence services detained last January 8 the former president of the National Security Committee Karim Masimov, on suspicion of high treason and he is also being investigated for attempted violent seizure of power, TASS news agency reported.

On January 13, former vicepresident of the KNB and head of the Service of Special Operations A of the KNB Anuar Sadykúlov, and the vicepresident of the KNB, Daulet Yergozhin were taken into custody.

Tokayev declared last January 10, at a meeting of the head of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (OTSC) that recent riots in his country were an attempted coup d’état.

“Under the guise of spontaneous protests, a wave of massive unrest unfolded, as religious radicals, criminal elements, notorious bandits, looters and thugs appeared in a single command,” the president explained.

He clarified that the socio-economic and socio-political demands presented in the first moments of the protests, which were heard and attended to by the country’s authorities, were “relegated to a second or third plane and forgotten”.

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