Gunmen killed two policemen in Almaty on Monday, security sources and the Interior Ministry said.
"A religious radical and probably a follower of non-traditional Islam" was on the rampage in central Almaty, opening fire from time to time, Reuters reports.
"We saw a man with a rifle, he passed by," one shop worker said by phone.
Police cordoned off several central streets, including the one near a local office of the KNB security police, where shots were also heard.
At least one attacker had been detained by the police, the RIA news agency cited a security source as saying. It said several policemen had also been wounded.
