Nearly 8,000 detained amid unrest in Kazakhstan
Interior Ministry says stolen goods recovered from detainees
NUR SULTAN, Kazakhstan
Nearly 8,000 people have been detained in Kazakhstan since mass protests began early this month, the country's Interior Ministry said Monday.
A total of 7,939 people have been detained, including 207 in the commercial capital Almaty, the ministry statement said.
The detainees were in possession of stolen goods looted from two markets in Almaty, the statement added.
Also on Monday, the country's intelligence agency National Security Committee said two groups involved in the protests in Almaty were "neutralized."
On Sunday, the Interior Ministry said more than 1,300 security personnel were injured while protecting public order.
The protests against an increase in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices turned into countrywide unrest over the past week.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a state of emergency in Almaty and the oil-rich Mangystau region, from where the protests spread to the rest of the country.
