Kazakh authorities reported snipers among protesters in Alma-Ata – RBK

The protesters in Alma-Ata acted on a professional level, among them were organized groups, including snipers, said the first deputy head of the presidential administration of Kazakhstan Dauren Abaev on the Khabar 24 TV channel, broadcasting his speech is underway on YouTube.

He claims that the peaceful protest was gradually led by armed “bandits and terrorists” with truncheons and “Molotov cocktails.” “The bandits hunted for looting, and the second organized group of terrorist militants carried out targeted attacks on weapons stores, took away the means of communication from the police. The invaders acted professionally, ”Abaev said.

According to him, the “invaders” made several attempts to go live on central television, two times the soldiers of the border troops repulsed attacks on the television tower in Koktuba. The “terrorists” also promptly hijacked the airport building and several aircraft, he continued. According to the official, checkpoints with barricades were set up at all the seized objects, and “militants” were on duty on every floor in the akimats that had come under the control of the protesters, controlling the entrances and exits.

“Apparently, [протестующими] we used our own connection, ”Abaev said. He also said that they were moving around Alma-Ata along the most optimal routes, and during the assault on the building of the police department, snipers used “special rifles.” They destroyed CCTV cameras and communications equipment, he said.