MINSK, 6 April (BelTA) – Law enforcement personnel will use firearms to stop acts of terrorism against railway infrastructure, BelTA learned from Chief of Criminal Police of the Belarusian Internal Affairs Ministry Gennady Kazakevich.
Gennady Kazakevich said: “The extremist formation Bypol continues openly encouraging Belarusians to commit terrorist attacks against railway infrastructure via the so-called plan Peramoga [victory in Belarusian], thus actually setting up terrorist cells in the country's territory. Other extremist Telegram channels have joined in this activity. We've already reported the capture of persons, who are suspected of committing such terrorist attacks. More special operations have been carried out in Bobruisk District and Borisov District.”
Gennady Kazakevich talked about details of the capture of the individuals suspected of committing terrorist attacks against railway infrastructure. Three residents of Bobruisk aged 27 and 28 were apprehended on the night of 30 March with assistance of the State Security Committee and a fast response unit. They are implicated in the destruction of two signal relay boxes near Osipovichi. Gennady Kazakevich said the suspects forced open and burned down the relay boxes, which enable smooth transportation by rail, on 28 March. The terrorists tried to flee to avoid capture and law enforcement personnel fired at them. One of the criminals was injured and is now in a medical institution. The others were bandaged on the spot, the official said.
According to Gennady Kazakevich, law enforcement personnel found radio stations and an improvised device for derailing trains in the vehicle of the suspects. The fact testifies to their intention to commit another terrorist attack.
According to the source, the detainees are already giving their confessions, including about their curators from Bypol. It is worth noting that they committed crimes in exchange for cash rewards. They received an equivalent of $1,000 for the attack.
Apart from that, on 1 April the SWAT team Almaz helped apprehend a person suspected of committing a similar crime in Borisov District on the night of 24-25 March. “His capture became possible largely thanks to concerned citizens, who reported a suspicious vehicle, which had been idle for hours near the crime site,” Gennady Kazakevich said. “A 40-year-old Minsk District resident, who had been previously tried for an extremely brutal murder, turned out to be the terrorist. He resisted the arrest, too and was fired upon. The criminal was injured and is in a medical institution. The search of the criminal's house and vehicle revealed several weapons, radio stations, a binocular, a laptop, mobile phones, which indicate thorough preparations for the crime. Greed was the motivator, too.”
Gennady Kazakevich added that the Internal Affairs Ministry has reliable information about those intending to commit terrorist attacks against railway infrastructure. They will be apprehended in a similar manner soon.
“The Internal Affairs Ministry warns that actions of people contemplating such acts of sabotage against Belarusian Railways will be stopped with the use of firearms. Nobody will avoid responsibility,” Gennady Kazakevich concluded.
