Kazakhstan Detains 10 Over Alleged Plot to Change Constitutional Order

Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee (KNB) says it detained 10 people in the western city of Atyrau. It suspects them of running an extremist group that aimed to change the constitutional order by force.

The KNB announced the case on Monday, Nov. 2. The detentions took place on Oct. 30, Kazinform reported.

What the KNB Said

The suspects are accused of creating, leading and taking part in an extremist group. They are also suspected of promoting terrorism and inciting religious discord, the KNB said.

Investigators say the group sought the “forcible change of the foundations of the constitutional order” in the country’s “western region.” The statement names only the city of Atyrau and does not define that region.

Searches of the suspects’ homes turned up firearms, drugs, religious items and literature. The KNB also says it shut down three underground educational centers for children and teenagers.

Several members had earlier been convicted of terrorism and common crimes, the committee says. It gave no names, no group name, no ideology and no list of criminal code articles, VRK noted.

The KNB cited Article 201 of the Criminal Procedure Code to withhold further details. No court has ruled, and the allegations remain unproven.

Was It a “Coup”?

The KNB statement does not use the word “coup.” Its wording is “forcible change of the foundations of the constitutional order,” as quoted by Sputnik Kazakhstan.

That phrase appears in Article 179 of the Criminal Code, which covers violent seizure of power. The KNB did not say which articles apply.

Some outlets used the stronger word. TengriNews put “coup attempt” in its page title, while Caravan.kz and Time.kz wrote of preparing a coup.

We have not used “coup” in our headline. The KNB describes an alleged aim, not an attempted takeover.

Past Cases and January 2022

The KNB announced a similar case in November 2023. It detained 12 members of a “radical religious group” in Astana, Atyrau and Zhezkazgan, Anadolu reported. Investigators said they sought to overthrow the secular system.

The KNB says 19 people were convicted of terrorism and extremism offenses between June and August 2026. Another 28 were detained on suspicion of related offenses, TengriNews reported.

The case recalls January 2022, when unrest began in Zhanaozen, in western Mangystau, after fuel prices rose, Wikipedia summarizes. About 230 people died, the prosecutor general said, Interfax reported.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called the unrest an attempted coup. Former KNB chief Karim Massimov was jailed for 18 years over his role, Reuters reported.

Some analysts dispute the coup account. Nothing in the KNB statement links the new case to January 2022.

Atyrau region is Kazakhstan’s oil heartland and home to the Tengiz field. We have covered Chevron’s lobbying to shield its Kazakh assets and Kazakhstan’s move to join the Abraham Accords.