This archive report was first published on 13 August 2019.
Almazbek Atambayev, Kyrgyzstan's president from 2011 to 2017, was arrested last week in a massive security operation that sparked fears of new political turmoil in the Central Asian nation.
Atambayev was seized on Thursday after an attempt to detain him the day before led to lethal clashes between his supporters and law enforcement, leaving one officer dead and over 130 people injured.
"He wanted bloodshed. His intention was a state coup," Orozbek Opumbayev, the head of the national security services (GKNB), said at a news conference in Bishkek on August 8, 2019.
Atambayev is also being investigated for organising attempted murder, as he and his supporters took up arms during the clashes with law enforcement.
"Atambayev is suspected of using violence against government officials, organising riots, and organising attempted murders," Zamir Beishekeev, the head of the state prosecutor's investigations department, said.
Atambayev's arrest has reignited a long-standing feud between him and President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, who was once his protege.
Before his arrest, Atambayev had ignored three police summonses for questioning in connection with the release of a well-known underworld figure, ethnic Chechen Aziz Batukayev, in 2013 during his presidency.
