Four bike tourists from Europe and the USA were killed in an armed attack in Tajikistan.The police of the former Soviet republic did not want to rule out a "terrorist" on Monday.The exact circumstances are still unclear, Interior Minister Ramason Hamro Rahimsoda said in the capital Dushanbe.When hunting for the perpetrators, the police shot five suspects.
According to the authorities, the tourists killed were two US citizens, a Swiss and a Dutchman.Another Dutchman and a Frenchman were injured, a Frenchman got it intact.
Cyclists were traveling on a popular Pamir route
The seven holidaymakers were on the bike on the Pamir route near the border with Afghanistan, which was popular with tourists, when they were apparently targeted by a car.The perpetrators had "knives and firearms", said the interior minister.One of the tourists was injured by knife stings.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry called Tajikistan to "make all efforts to clarify this serious incident".Ministry spokeswoman Silvia Müller said: "If the suspicion of a terrorist attack is confirmed, this will be reflected in the travel principles for Tajikistan."
Foreign Office warns Tajikistan tourists
The ever -courts in Berlin recommended tourists on Monday, especially on hikes and bike tours in Tajikistan, "to be particularly attentive and careful".The Tajik police initially spoke of a traffic accident with a driver's flight.Then the indications of a targeted attack were condensed.
A Belgian cyclist who came to the crime scene shortly after the attack described his impressions in the Flemish radio station VRT."One of them told me that they were approached by a car and that the people who were sitting in the car would have stabbed them," said Nicolas Moerman."Several cyclists were on the floor, they were completely in shock."
Police shoot five suspects
According to their own information, the police shot five suspects in the course of their search - among them the 21 -year -old owner of the crime vehicle.Four other suspects were arrested."We are investigating in all directions," said Interior Minister Rahimsoda."We cannot say whether it is a terrorist act."
The mostly Muslim Tajikistan is the poorest of the former Soviet Republics and has been ruled by President Emomali Rakmon since 1992.The authorities are hard against religious fundamentalism.In 2015, Tajikistan made a name for himself with radical measures such as forced bare trashes and restrictions for the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Tajikistan promotes tourism
The alleged attack on vacationers could hit Tajikistan's tourism strategy sensitive.The government had announced in 2018 for the "year of tourism".The visa award for foreigners was made easier and the government threatened civil servants in the notoriously corrupt country with hard punishments if they collect bribes from vacationers.
