Back to Search ResultsIncident Summary:
05/17/2011: On Tuesday morning at 0930, in Aktobe, Kazakhstan, a suicide bombing was carried out outside a government office building that housed the regional department of the National Security Committee (NSC). The attack wounded two bystanders and caused an unknown amount of property damage to the building. The bomber was identified as Rakhimzhan Makhatov. Kazakh prosecutors said it appeared that the bomber had ties to organized crime but not too radical Islamic groups and that Makatov could have blown himself up to avoid responsibility for a number of crimes he had committed as a member of an organized criminal group. The Prosecutor General's Office insisted that the explosion was not a terrorist attack. The Muslim Spiritual Board of Kazakhstan, however, has not ruled out a radical religious motive for the attack saying that even though there is no information confirming the incident as religiously motivated, there are no precedents in their history for such attacks. Furthermore, Kazakh political analyst Dosim Satpayev also supported a religious motive for the attack saying that criminal organizations rarely use this form of activity and that the target of the attack was a building housing the Kazakh secret services which combats extremism and terrorism. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.Overview
GTD ID:
201105170015
When:
2011-05-17
Country:
Kazakhstan
Region:
Central Asia
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Aktobe
City:
Aktobe
Location Details:
The attack took place at a local police headquarters in the city of Aktobe, Kazakhstan.
What
| Target Type: Police | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name of Entity | National Security Committee | ||
| Specific Description | A local police headquarters housing the National Security Committee (NSC) | ||
| Nationality of Target | Kazakhstan | ||
| Hostages | No |
| Ransom | No |
| Property Damage | Yes |
| Extent of Property Damage | Minor (likely < $1 million) |
| Value of Property Damage | Unknown |
How
| Type | Sub-type |
|---|---|
| Explosives | Suicide (carried bodily by human being) |
| Weapon Details | |
| A suicide improvised explosive device was used in the attack. | |
| Suicide Attack? | Yes |
| Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
| Criterion 1 (more) | No |
| Criterion 2 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 3 (more) | Yes |
| Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) | Yes |
| Alternate Designation (more) | Other Crime Type |
| Additional Information | The Prosecutor General's Office insisted that the explosion was not a terrorist attack. The Muslim Spiritual Board of Kazakhstan, however, has not ruled out a radical religious motive for the attack saying that even though there is no information confirming the incident as religiously motivated, there are no precedents in their history for such attacks. Furthermore, Kazakh political analyst Dosim Satpayev also supported a religious motive for the attack saying that criminal organizations rarely use this form of activity and that the target of the attack was a building housing the Kazakh secret services which combats extremism and terrorism. |
Who
| Group Name | Claimed Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Unknown | No |
| Number of Perpetrators | 1 |
| Number of Captured Perpetrators | 0 |
| Total Number of Casualties | 1 Fatalities / 2 Injured |
| Total Number of Fatalities | 1 |
| Number of U.S. Fatalities | 0 |
| Number of Perpetrator Fatalities | 1 |
| Total Number of Injured | 2 |
| Number of U.S. Injured | 0 |
| Number of Perpetrators Injured | 0 |
Sources
| Andrew E. Kramer, "Kazakhstan: Suicide Bomber Strikes," LexisNexis Academic, New York Times, May 18, 2011. |
| Kazakhstan General Newswire, “Kazakhstan Muslims Suspect Involvement of Radical Religious Groups in Aktobe Suicide Bombing,” LexisNexis Academic, Kazakhstan General Newswire, May 20, 2011. |
| Russia & CIS Military Newswire, "Muslim Spiritual Board not Ruling out Radical Religious Groups' Role in Aktobe Blast," LexisNexis Academic, Russia & CIS Military Newswire, May 20, 2011. |
Copyright © 2009-2022 University of Maryland
National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism
An Emeritus Center of Excellence of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Data and Privacy | End User Agreement | Contact
National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism
An Emeritus Center of Excellence of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Data and Privacy | End User Agreement | Contact