MINSK, October 27. /TASS/: Belarus is beginning to face a terrorist threat, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday at a meeting to discuss the preparations for the Belarusian People's Congress, BelTA news agency informs.
"Well, how can we treat the fact that they have already started blocking the automation in the railway and locking the rails? This can lead to serious railway accidents, disasters and the death of many people. These are the actions of organized criminal groups with signs of terrorism. Terrorist threats are looming," Lukashenko said, quoted by BelTA.
"You probably remember when I said that we must act carefully although we are going through a tense period and these protesters hang out in the streets (mostly or virtually only in Minsk). We have seen the radicalization of the remaining protesters. We clearly see the organizers and those who embody these ideas. Back then I said that we should act cautiously, since they did not yet cross the red line. The last few days have shown that they have crossed this red line in many ways," he noted.
Nationwide demonstrations have engulfed Belarus following the August 9 presidential election. According to the Central Election Commission’s official results, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won by a landslide, garnering 80.10% of the vote. His closest rival in the race, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, came in second, with 10.12% of the ballot. However, she refused to recognize the election’s outcome, and left Belarus for Lithuania. After the results of the exit polls were announced late on August 9, mass protests erupted in downtown Minsk and other Belarusian cities. During the early post-election period, the rallies snowballed into fierce clashes between the protesters and police. The current unrest is being cheered on by the opposition’s Coordination Council, which has been beating the drum for more protests. In response, the Belarusian authorities have castigated the ongoing turmoil and demanded that these unauthorized demonstrations be stopped.
