Belarus opposition leader accused of terrorist plot

Belarusian prosecutors on Monday opened an investigation into exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on charges that she was involved in the planning of a terrorist attack.

Tikhanovskaya, who stood in the country's presidential election last year, stands accused alongside some members of a group called BYPOL, an association of oppositional former law enforcement officials in Belarus, the country's news agency BelTA quoted Prosecutor General Andrei Shved as saying.

"The Prosecutor-General's Office on the basis of materials presented by the State Security Committee and Interior Ministry have opened a criminal case against Tikhanovskaya and members of the so-called initiative BYPOL for preparations for an act of terrorism by an organized group under article 289 of the Criminal Code," Shved said.

He added: "The aforesaid persons several days ago tried to stage explosions and arson attacks in the capital and other cities".

On Friday, the Interior Ministry said Belarusian law enforcement agencies prevented two terrorist attacks that a resident of the Brest region had planned to commit in the capital Minsk and at a military garrison in the Minsk region.

"The citizen named Maleichuk who was detained at the crime scene has already agreed to testify and disclosed the names of the organizers of and participants in the terrorist attack," Shved said.

President Alexander Lukashenko said: "The Belarusian authorities will not go easy on the radical opposition, which has already crossed a red line.

"Horrible miscreants. I told you that they will rock us in various ways. We will not go easy on anyone here, because it will get worse."

Bomber detected

Lukashenko said the would-be bomber was detected and the explosives defused. The perpetrator was handed over to the State Security Committee.

Tikhanovskaya, who had claimed the vote in the presidential election in August was rigged, is in neighboring Lithuania where she sought refuge.

During a visit to Finland this month, Tikhanovskaya said she expected mass protests against Lukashenko to start up again in the spring.

Two days after her comments, the Prosecutor-General's Office asked the Lithuanian authorities to extradite the exiled opposition leader. The Prosecutor-General's Office cited Tikhanovskaya's alleged plans, with associates, to instigate riots and capture government buildings in Gomel, Belarus' second city.

Tikhanovskaya has rejected the allegations.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said his country "has been and will be a brick wall behind which all democratic forces persecuted by regimes will find refuge".

"We can say only one thing to the Belarusian regime: hell will first have to freeze over before we consider your requests," he said.