Uzbek police searching for woman allegedly trained as suicide bomber

Associated Press October 14 Uzbek police are searching for a Kazakh woman who allegedly underwent terror training as a suicide bomber and could be planning an attack, officials said Thursday. Wanted posters in the capital, Tashkent, displayed a photograph of the woman from southern Kazakhstan and warned she may be in possession of an explosives-laden belt. Oleg Bichenov, who heads the Tashkent police's anti-terrorism department, said authorities had received information from neighboring countries that the woman was missing from her home and had possibly crossed into Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan has seen two waves of attacks this year that included the first-ever suicide bombings in Central Asia. In July, three suicide bombers staged simultaneous attacks on the U.S. and Israeli embassies and top prosecutor's office, killing four guards. That attack took place during the trial for the first suspects in a spasm of violence earlier this year that left at least 47 dead, mostly alleged terrorists. Authorities in the predominantly Muslim nation have blamed the attacks on al-Qaida-linked Islamic extremists who trained outside the country. Opposition groups claim the attacks were inspired by the government's harsh crackdown on Muslims who choose to worship outside state-run mosques.