Kyrgyzstan Says Foils Bishkek Bomb Attack

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan say they have foiled an attempted bomb attack in the capital, Bishkek, after discovering a jeep packed with explosives parked outside the main police headquarters.

The AKIpress news agency quoted the security service press office as saying that homemade explosives, the equivalent of 7-10 kilograms of TNT, had been found in a Landrover Discovery.

According to news reports, sappers from the Kyrgyz security service (GKNB) successfully defused the explosives, which consisted of a gas balloon, explosive powder, and electric wires linked to a mobile phone.

The Central Asian state has been wracked by unrest in 2010 which saw ex-president Kurmanbek Bakiev toppled in a bloody uprising and ethnic rioting in the south that left hundreds dead.

compiled from agency reports