2016 shooting of Almaty police officers
| 2016 shooting of Almaty police officers | |
|---|---|
| Location | Almaty, Kazakhstan |
| Coordinates | 43°14′57″N 76°52′18″E / 43.2490336°N 76.8716763°E |
| Date |
July 18, 2016 10:54 a.m. – 11:18 a.m. (UTC+6) |
| Target | Police officers |
Attack type | Mass shooting |
| Weapons | |
| Deaths | 6 [2] |
Non-fatal injuries | 9[2] |
| Perpetrator | Ruslan Kulikbayev[3] |
| Motive | Suspected Salafi jihadism[4] |
On July 18, 2016, 26-year-old Ruslan Kulikbayev shot and killed four police officers at a police station in Almaty, Kazakhstan and one local resident nearby after killing a woman the night before.[5]
Background
The attack comes in the month after the 2016 Aktobe shootings where 25 people were killed.
At 3:52 am local time Ruslan Kulikbayev armed with a handgun commits his first murder by shooting an alleged prostitute in the taxicab, a citizen of Uzbekistan.[6][7]
Attack
At around 11:00 am local time a man shot a policeman outside of a police station and stole his automatic weapon. Two more policemen in pursuit were then shot after the man tried to flee the scene. The suspect then hijacked a vehicle, shooting and killing its driver. A gun battle then broke out between the perpetrator and policemen. The man was then detained by police.[8]
Two men were detained in the attack with one suspect being killed. A total of at least three policemen were killed along with the civilian driver. A second civilian was also killed at an unknown time.[9]
Victims
Four police officers and one civilian were killed, and nine others were injured in the shooting. Also, one woman was killed by the culprit the night before.[6]
The officers killed were identified as:
- Captain Bauyrzhan Nurmakhanbetov, 28, who had been serving in the Department of internal Affairs since 22 December 2011.[10]
- Junior Sergeant Maksat Salimbaev, 24, who had been serving in the Department of internal Affairs since 15 November 2013.[10]
- Starshina Ayan Galiev, 42, who had been serving in the Department of internal Affairs since 30 January 1997.[10]
- Lieutenant Timur Begasilov, 29, who had been serving in the Department of internal Affairs since January. 2015. Died of wounds in hospital the next day.[11]
Perpetrator
Ruslan Alpysbayuly Kulikbayev (Kazakh: Руслан Алпысбайұлы Күлікбаев) was born on 11 June 1990 in Baikonur and raised there.[12][13] His parents had divorced when he was still a minor.[14] He attended Yuri Gagarin Comprehensive Secondary School No. 8, leaving after the 9th grade with an incomplete secondary school certificate.[13] In school days he was reportedly introverted and prone to violence under the influence of alcohol.[14]
Kulikbayev had been convicted twice previously. The first time, a 3-year suspended imprisonment for robbery with violence imposed on him by the Enbekshi District Court of Shymkent on 27 August 2010.[15][16] It was determined that he ambushed a jewelry saleswoman near her home in July 2010, beating her and taking away her purse with 115,000 tenge (≈US$5,500) and a mobile phone.[17] The second time, the police seized a Nagant M1895 with ammunition and a suppressor from him, presumedly found by Kulikbayev near a local railway station of Taraz on 14 February 2012, that lead to his 3-year and 6-month prison sentence for illegal acquisition and possession of firearms enhanced by recidivism by the Kyzylorda Municipal Court on 8 May 2012.[18] In prison, 14 penalties were imposed on him for disobedience and violation of orders and instructions provided by detention personnel.[17] According to security officials, he maintained close relations with Salafists while being incarcerated.[19]
His marriage to Ayaylym Umbetkulova, a native of Yntymak, Ile District began in the early 2010s and produced a son and a daughter.[14][20] By the words of his wife, he turned from an exemplary family man to a deeply religious person after the release, and wanted her to wear hijab, but she refused.[20]
In recent times, he resided in Yntymak, and worked odd jobs for a living, such as selling mobile phones.[14]
Response
-
Chechnya: Head of the Chechen Republic, a federal subject of Russia, Ramzan Kadyrov offered on his Instagram page condolences to the brotherly people of Kazakhstan and President Nursultan Nazarbayev, and confirmed Chechnya's readiness to closely cooperate with Kazakhstan in fighting terrorism.[21] -
Iran: Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi strongly condemned the attack, and stated "Terror and violence in any form and anywhere are condemned and unacceptable".[22]
Investigation
Following the investigation, the police found that the gunman had killed a woman the night before the attack.[6]
The assailant planned to kill judges and prosecutors at the Almaly District Court to get revenge on law enforcement structures, as reported by Minister of Internal Affairs Kalmukhanbet Kassymov.[23]
See also
References
- 1 2 "Кровавый понедельник Алматы - Караван | Караван". Caravan.kz. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
- 1 2 "5 killed, 9 injured in Almaty terrorist attack on police station". Russia Today. July 18, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
- ↑ "'Islamist gunman' kills five in attack on Kazakhstan police station". The Times. July 18, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
- ↑ "Suspected Islamist militant kills five in Kazakhstan". Retrieved July 18, 2016.
- ↑ "Suspected Islamist militants kill at least five in Kazakhstan".
- 1 2 3 Voronina, Xenia (18 July 2016). "Assailant on police and NSC departments in Almaty named". Kazakhstanskaya Pravda. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ↑ Амина Джалилова. "Главы МВД и КНБ рассказали президенту о теракте в Алматы –". 365info.kz. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
- ↑ Putz, Catherine (18 July 2016). "6 Dead in Police Station Attack in Almaty". The Diplomat. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- ↑ Gordeyeva, Mariya; Auyezov, Olzhas (18 July 2016). "Suspected Islamist militant kills five in Kazakhstan". Reuters. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Коллеги рассказали об убитых в Алматы полицейских". Forbes.kz (in Russian). 18 July 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- ↑ "Policeman wounded in Almaty attack died". Kazakhstanskaya Pravda. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- ↑ "Глава МВД Касымов сообщил подробности теракта в Алматы". Forbes.kz (in Russian). 18 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
- 1 2 "Виновный в гибели людей Руслан Кулекбаев родился в Байконуре". Khabar.kz (in Russian). 19 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 ""Замкнутый" и "любитель драк"" (in Russian). Radio Azattyq. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
- ↑ "Almaty terrorist attack suspect is a Salaphite with criminal background – National Security Committee". Kazinform. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
- ↑ "ДВД: "алматинский стрелок" причастен к серии вооруженных грабежей". Newskaz.ru (in Russian). 21 July 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- 1 2 Urankaeva, Jania (21 July 2016). "Almaty assailant implicated in another 4 attacks - Almaty DIA". Kazakhstanskaya Pravda. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ↑ "В Кызылординском областном суде прошел брифинг по делу Руслана Кулекбаева" (in Russian). Kyzylorda Regional Court Press Office. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- ↑ "Kazakhstan attack: Four in Almaty killed 'by Islamist'". BBC News. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
- 1 2 "Wife of Almaty assailant apologized to Kazakhstanis - Media". Kazakhstanskaya Pravda. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ↑ "Chechnya ready to give any support to Kazakhstan in fight against radicals". BNews.kz. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- ↑ "Iran Condemns Terrorist Attack in Kazakhstan's Almaty". Tasnim News Agency. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- ↑ "Ruslan Kulikbayev planned to take revenge on law-enforcement structures - MIA". Kazinform. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.