Kazakh police on Saturday detained a wealthy businessman and public activist known for his close ties with Russia, a move which could strain relations with Kazakhstan's former Soviet overlord. Businessman Tokhtar Tuleshov, best known as the chief executive of one of the country's largest breweries, was among four people detained in a special operation in the southern city of Shymkent, local media reported, citing an Interior Ministry official.
Nur.kz news website quoted the official as saying that police had found firearms and some narcotic substance while searching some of the detained men's houses and workplaces. The ministry did not say what the charges were against them. In addition to owning business assets, thoroughbred horses and expensive watches, Tuleshov has run the Kazakh office of a Russia-based organisation called the Centre for the Analysis of Terrorist Threats.