2016 shooting of Almaty police officers

2016 shooting of Almaty police officers
LocationAlmaty, Kazakhstan
Coordinates43°14′57″N 76°52′18″E / 43.2490336°N 76.8716763°E / 43.2490336; 76.8716763
Date18 July 2016 (2016-07-18)
10:54 a.m. – 11:18 a.m. (UTC+6)
TargetPolice officers
Attack type
Mass shooting, shootout, carjacking, terrorist attack
Weapons
Deaths11 (including one attacker)
InjuredAt least 10 (including one attacker)
PerpetratorsRuslan Kulikbayev[2] and six accomplices
MotiveSuspected Salafi jihadism, hatred of police and law enforcement[3]
VerdictRuslan Kulikbayev: Death; commuted to life imprisonment
ConvictionsMurder
Attempted murder
Terrorism

On 18 July 2016, Ruslan Kulikbayev, a 26-year-old Salafi jihadist and ex-convict, shot and killed 10 people—8 police officers and 2 civilians—in the city of Almaty, Kazakhstan before being apprehended in a chase and shootout with law enforcement.[4] In addition to Kulikbayev, police arrested five other suspects involved in the attack, while officers shot and killed a sixth suspect. While in custody, Kulikbayev confessed to the attack, claiming he perpetrated it due to a hatred of law enforcement.

In November 2016, Kulikbayev was convicted with terrorism and murder charges stemming from the attack, and was sentenced to death. At the time of Kazakhstan's abolition of the death penalty in 2021, he had been the only person on Kazakhstan's death row; his death sentence was subsequently commuted to life imprisonment. Kulikbayev's five accomplices were also convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 3 to 10.5 years.

  1. ^ a b Gubaydulin, Oleg (22 July 2016). "Кровавый понедельник Алматы". Caravan (in Russian). Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  2. ^ Parfitt, Tom (19 July 2016). "'Islamist gunman' kills five in attack on Kazakhstan police station". The Times. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  3. ^ Gordeyeva, Mariya; Auyezov, Olzhas (18 July 2016). "Suspected Islamist militant kills five in Kazakhstan". Reuters. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  4. ^ "Suspected Islamist militants kill at least five in Kazakhstan". The Guardian. Reuters. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2020.