The lone gunman who killed five in an attack in Kazakh city of Almaty has been captured by police, officials announced Tuesday.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev called the attacks on Monday morning a “terrorist act” that targeted the country's police force. Three officers and two civilians were killed in the shootout, while at least eight others were wounded.
The head of Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee, Vladimir Zhumakanov, said that the alleged attacker, 26, had previously been incarcerated on charges of robbery and possession of weapons. The suspect, named by Zhumakanov as Ruslan Kulikbaev, adopted “radical Islam” during this time, Radio Free Europe reported.
The shootout began when the man tried to force his way into the Almaty Region Department of Internal Affairs. After he was denied entry by police, he seized an officer's gun and fled.
Nazarbaev announced that the counter-terrorism operation in the city was over and that the terrorism threat level had been lowered from “red” to “yellow.” One previously apprehended suspect has been released.
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