Kazakh businessman accused of inciting protests in coup plot

Kazakhstan's security service accused a detained Kazakh businessman ties of financing recent anti-government protests as part of a plot to seize power.

Tokhtar Tuleshov, best known as the chief executive of one of the Central Asian nation's largest breweries, has been imprisoned since January, but authorities had not up to now given details of any charges.

"His plan included destabilizing the situation in the country by creating flash points, organizing protests and mass unrest," Reuters cited National Security Committee (KNB) spokesman, Ruslan Karasev, as saying.

"We have proof that protests against the so-called land reform that took place in Atyrau, Astana, Almaty, Uralsk, Kyzylorda had been instigated and financed by Tuleshov," he noted.