A court in Kazakhstan’s northwestern city of Aqtobe has jailed a man for calling for a series of terrorist attacks to be carried out in neighboring Russia.

The court said on September 2 that Almas Abdiraev, born in 1982, was sentenced to four years and eight months in jail.

According to the court, Abdiraev tried to persuade two acquaintances to organize terrorist acts in Russia "as a response to Russia's military operations in Syria."

On August 31, Kazakh authorities said they had apprehended 11 Islamists in the Aqtobe region, of which Aqtobe is the capital.

In June, the government said a group of 25 alleged Islamic militants carried out a series of attacks that killed five civilians and three members of Kazakhstan's security forces in Aqtobe.

Security forces who confronted the group killed 18 gunmen and arrested seven others who are awaiting trial on terrorism charges.