The victims were reportedly among the group of seven touring the country and riding in the Danghara district, about 150 kilometres south of the Central Asian republic's capital, Dushanbe. According to the media reports, a vehicle was driven into the group of cyclists who were then attacked by at least one person armed with a knife and a gun.

Two US citizens reportedly lost their lives as well as a Dutch and a Swiss national. Three others, from Switzerland, the Netherlands and France, were injured, one of them reportedly also from a stab wound.

"The tragic death of two citizens of the United States, one Dutch national and one Swiss citizen as a result of a car crashing into a group of cycling tourists on a Tajikistan motorway were met with great sadness and regret," Rahmon said in a telegram sent to the US, Dutch and Swiss leaders.

The Tajikistan's Interior Ministry said Monday that the suspects have been found and killed.

According to Reuters, thousands of people from the Central Asian region have joined Daesh terrorists in recent years. Several men from Central Asia were detained last year over ramming attacks in New York and Stockholm. </s> Four foreign cyclists have been killed and three others injured in southern Tajikistan after being hit by a car that fled the scene afterward.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement on July 29 that three cyclists were declared dead at the scene, while a fourth died later at a local hospital.

The other three suffered minor injuries, the ministry said.

A second statement said a 21-year-old male had been detained in connection with the incident.

A statement from the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe said two of the dead were U.S. citizens.

"Due to privacy concerns, we are unable to share further details. Our condolences go out to the victims' families, and we will continue to work with Tajik authorities in the ongoing investigation," the statement said.

AFP, quoting an unnamed source at the ministry, had earlier reported that two Dutch nationals were in the group. It did not specify the nationalities of the other three members or the nationalities of those who were killed.

The incident took place in the district of Danghara, 150 kilometers south of the capital, Dushanbe.

With reporting by AFP </s> DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN (AFP) - The Islamic State extremist group on Monday (July 30) claimed an attack that killed four foreign cyclists in Tajikistan in what was originally reported as a hit-and-run road accident.

The victims, two Americans, a Swiss and Dutch citizen, were struck by a car and attacked on Sunday (July 29) while on a popular cycle route in the Danghara district, about 100 kilometres south of the capital Dushanbe.

"(The suspects) had knives and firearms," said interior minister Ramazon Hamro Rahimzoda, adding that two other cyclists, Swiss and Dutch nationals, were injured and hospitalised.

"One tourist received a knife wound and is being given medical assistance. The victim's condition is stable," said Rahimzoda, without mentioning a nationality.

Another cyclist with the group, a French citizen, escaped without injury and had been questioned by police, he added.

In a statement published Monday, ISIS said that a "detachment from the soldiers of the Caliphate" had carried out the attack against "citizens of Crusader coalition countries," according to intelligence monitor SITE.

Five people suspected of involvement in the attack were killed by police and at least four suspects detained, according to separate police accounts.

Among the dead suspects was 21-year-old Jafariddin Yusufov, the owner of the Daewoo Leganza car that struck the tourists on Sunday afternoon, local officials said.

A Belgian cyclist who said he arrived at the scene after the attack told Flemish broadcaster VRT that he saw "several cyclists on the ground. Some were completely shocked".

"When I asked what had happened, the first thing someone said was that they had been hit by a car and that the people who had come out had started stabbing them with knives," cyclist Nicolas Moerman said.

The Dutch foreign ministry told AFP on Monday that one of the dead tourists was a 56-year-old man who was cycling the route with his 58-year-old partner, without providing names.

The cyclists were travelling on a road that adjoins the famous Pamir Highway, a Soviet-era road surrounded by stunning mountain scenery.

"We can't say if it is an act of terror," Rahimzoda said earlier on Monday.

"We are considering all possibilities," he added but said that "state institutions are being guarded... to provide safety for citizens and tourists".

The US embassy in Tajikistan confirmed that two of the fatalities were American citizens.

The Swiss foreign ministry on Monday told AFP that Switzerland "calls for every effort to be made to shed light on this serious incident".

"If it is established that this was a terrorist attack, it will be noted in (Switzerland's) future travel advice for Tajikistan," said ministry spokeswoman Silvia Muller while noting that the motive for the attack was still unclear.

A French diplomatic source told AFP that the country's embassy in Tajikistan was "engaged in facilitating the return" of the French survivor of the attack.

Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon sent notes of condolence to the US, Switzerland and the Netherlands over the deaths and called for increased security throughout the country at a special meeting on Monday with the country's law enforcement chiefs.

Tajik authorities had declared 2018 "a year of tourism" in the former Soviet republic.

In June, Rakhmon said that state officials found to be soliciting bribes from tourists would be deemed "traitors" and fired from their positions.

Visitor numbers had quadrupled in the first five months of 2018 compared the same period last year, he said.

Tajikistan is the poorest of the ex-Soviet republics and has been ruled by Rakhmon, 65, since 1992. </s> The Islamic State jihadist group on Monday claimed an attack that killed four foreign cyclists in Tajikistan in what was originally reported as a hit-and-run road accident.

The victims, two Americans, a Swiss and Dutch citizen, were struck by a car and attacked on Sunday while on a popular cycle route in the Danghara district, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of the capital Dushanbe.

"(The suspects) had knives and firearms," said interior minister Ramazon Hamro Rahimzoda, adding that two other cyclists, Swiss and Dutch nationals, were injured and hospitalised.

"One tourist received a knife wound and is being given medical assistance. The victim's condition is stable," said Rahimzoda, without mentioning a nationality.

Another cyclist with the group, a French citizen, escaped without injury and had been questioned by police, he added.

In a statement published Monday, IS said that a "detachment from the soldiers of the Caliphate" had carried out the attack against "citizens of Crusader coalition countries," according to intelligence monitor SITE.

Five people suspected of involvement in the attack were killed by police and at least four suspects detained, according to separate police accounts.

Among the dead suspects was 21-year-old Jafariddin Yusufov, the owner of the Daewoo Leganza car that struck the tourists on Sunday afternoon, local officials said.

A Belgian cyclist who said he arrived at the scene after the attack told Flemish broadcaster VRT that he saw "several cyclists on the ground. Some were completely shocked".

"When I asked what had happened, the first thing someone said was that they had been hit by a car and that the people who had come out had started stabbing them with knives," cyclist Nicolas Moerman said.

The Dutch foreign ministry told AFP on Monday that one of the dead tourists was a 56-year-old man who was cycling the route with his 58-year-old partner, without providing names.

The cyclists were travelling on a road that adjoins the famous Pamir Highway, a Soviet-era road surrounded by stunning mountain scenery.

"We can't say if it is an act of terror," Rahimzoda said earlier on Monday.

"We are considering all possibilities," he added but said that "state institutions are being guarded... to provide safety for citizens and tourists".

The US embassy in Tajikistan confirmed that two of the fatalities were American citizens.

The Swiss foreign ministry on Monday told AFP that Switzerland "calls for every effort to be made to shed light on this serious incident".

"If it is established that this was a terrorist attack, it will be noted in (Switzerland's) future travel advice for Tajikistan," said ministry spokeswoman Silvia Muller while noting that the motive for the attack was still unclear.

A French diplomatic source told AFP that the country's embassy in Tajikistan was "engaged in facilitating the return" of the French survivor of the attack.

Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon sent notes of condolence to the US, Switzerland and the Netherlands over the deaths and called for increased security throughout the country at a special meeting on Monday with the country's law enforcement chiefs.

Tajik authorities had declared 2018 "a year of tourism" in the former Soviet republic.

In June, Rakhmon said that state officials found to be soliciting bribes from tourists would be deemed "traitors" and fired from their positions.

Visitor numbers had quadrupled in the first five months of 2018 compared the same period last year, he said.

Tajikistan is the poorest of the ex-Soviet republics and has been ruled by Rakhmon, 65, since 1992. </s> 2 US cyclists, another foreigner killed in Tajikistan

MOSCOW (AP) — U.S. and Tajik officials say that two American cyclists have been killed in a car crash in the ex-Soviet Central Asian nation.

Tajikistan's Interior Ministry said an unidentified driver rammed a car into a group of foreign cyclists about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the Tajik capital Dushanbe on Sunday.

Two Americans died, the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan said on Facebook. Another foreign tourist also died on the spot, according to the Interior Ministry. The statement did not say where the third victim was from.

Three other cyclists in the group sustained light injuries and sought medical help. Police said it was unclear whether it was an accident or a deliberate attack.

The U.S. Embassy did not disclose further details due to privacy concerns. </s> DUSHANBE (Tajikistan), July 30 — Four tourists, including two Americans, were killed in Tajikistan by armed attackers in what was originally reported as a hit-and-run road accident, the Central Asian country’s interior minister said today.

“(The suspects) had knives and firearms,” minister Ramazon Hamro Rahimzoda said of the attack yesterday that left tourists from the United States, Switzerland and the Netherlands dead and two others injured.

The victims were cycling a popular route in the impoverished ex-Soviet nation, in a group with three other tourists from Switzerland, the Netherlands and France.

“One tourist received a knife wound and is being given medical assistance. The victim’s condition is stable,” said Rahimzoda, without mentioning nationality.

Another was being treated in hospital, while the French citizen survived without injury and had been questioned by the police, he added.

According to separate police accounts published on Sunday and Monday, at least four suspects have been detained and a further five killed in showdowns with law enforcement.

The Dutch foreign ministry told AFP today that one of the dead tourists was a 56-year-old man, who was cycling the route with his 58-year-old partner, without providing names.

The cyclists were travelling on a road that adjoins the famous Pamir Highway, a Soviet-era road surrounded by stunning mountain scenery.

‘Can’t say if act of terror’

“We are considering all possibilities,” Rahimzoda said of the criminal investigation at the Monday press conference.

“We can’t say if it is an act of terror,” he added.

However the minister said that “state institutions are being guarded... to provide safety for citizens and tourists”.

The US embassy in Tajikistan confirmed that two of the fatalities were American citizens.

Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon sent notes of condolence to the US, Switzerland and the Netherlands over the deaths.

The incident took place in Rakhmon’s home district of Danghara, 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of the capital Dushanbe.

One of the suspects killed by police was the 21-year-old owner of the Daewoo Leganza that struck the tourists on Sunday afternoon, Jafariddin Yusufov, who hails from the town of Nurek.

In June Rakhmon said that state officials found to be soliciting bribes from tourists would be fired from their positions as “traitors”.

Visitor numbers had quadrupled in the first five months of 2018 compared the same period last year, he said. Two years ago, the country introduced a simplified e-visa system for citizens of 80 countries.

Tajikistan is the poorest of the ex-Soviet republics and has been ruled by the iron hand of Rakhmon, 65, since 1992. — AFP </s> Four tourists killed, three more injured by car in possible terrorist act in Tajikstan

A hit-and-run driver has killed four foreign cyclists in Tajikistan in what may have been a terrorist act, the Central Asian country's Interior Minister has said.

The tourists, from the United States, Switzerland and the Netherlands, were killed on Sunday, Tajik authorities said.

Three more, from Switzerland, the Netherlands and France, were injured — and one of them also had a stab wound.

Security forces pursuing suspects in the attack killed four, including one as he was resisting arrest, and detained a fifth man, the former Soviet republic's interior ministry said.

Among the four suspects killed was the owner of the car, which police believe hit the tourists as they were cycling through a rural area 90 kilometres south-east of the capital Dushanbe.

A purported video of the incident published online by Radio Free Europe and credited to an anonymous source showed a car doing a U-turn on a narrow road after it had already knocked down a group of cyclists and then running over a few of them again.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, the group's AMAQ news agency claimed, but did not provide further detail or evidence for its claim.

The attackers "were soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls to target the citizens of the coalition countries," a statement by the group said.

A "wanted" notice disseminated by Tajik authorities named two suspects aged 18 and 19 from the same village close to the Tajik-Afghan border, and a third one, 21, from the town of Nurek located not far from the site of the attack.

The US Embassy said it could not name the two US victims due to privacy concerns, but indicated that it also considered the incident to be an intentional attack.

Switzerland's Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of one Swiss national and said it was in contact with the second tourist, who has been injured.

"If it is established that this was a terrorist attack, it will be noted in future travel advice for Tajikistan," the ministry said in a statement.

Britain's Foreign Office urged UK tourists in Tajikistan, particularly those hiking or cycling in its south, "to exercise extreme caution and vigilance during their visit", citing "the first incident of this kind in Tajikistan".

The Government of Tajik President Imomali Rakhmon — who expressed condolences to the US, Swiss and Dutch authorities on Monday — fought Islamist guerrillas in a 1992-1997 civil war that claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Some Tajik Islamists then joined a coalition government, but in 2015 the state outlawed their political party, accusing its leaders of being behind a failed coup, a charge they deny.

Thousands of people from the mainly Muslim region have joined Islamic State militants in recent years.

Several men from Central Asia were detained last year over a bombing of the metro in Russia's St Petersburg, and over truck attacks in New York and Stockholm. </s> Four cycling tourists, including two Americans, were killed in what may have been a terror attack in Tajikistan, authorities told ABC News.A group of seven cyclists was heading north in Danghara district, about 55 miles southeast of the capital Dushanbe, when they were struck by a car with five armed people onboard on Sunday. Tajikistan's interior minister said that, after striking the cyclists, the people in the car got out and attacked them with a firearm and a knife.The two Americans, a woman and a man, were killed along with a Swiss man and a Dutch national. Authorities now believe it may have been a deliberate terrorist attack, although armed robbery has not been ruled out. Initial results of the Tajik investigation are expected to be available by Wednesday.The U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe condemned the attack and sent condolences to the families on Monday. The embassy issued a security alert, urging safety precautions, but saying there was "no evidence that indicates a heightened level of threat to U.S. citizens."The U.S. victims were not named, due to privacy concerns, but officials indicated they considered the incident to be an intentional attack."We strongly condemn the cruelty of the attackers and recognize that they in no way represent the kindness and hospitality of the Tajik people," the embassy said in a statement If the incident is confirmed to be terrorism, it would be the first time Americans have been killed in a terrorist attack outside the U.S. since an August 2017 attack in Barcelona.Three other bikers who were Dutch and Swiss were also injured before the attackers drove away; one Swiss woman was stabbed and is no longer in critical condition. A French citizen was brought in for a check up, but sustained no injuries, a Tajik health official told ABC News.Five attackers were involved in the incident, Tajik officials said earlier Monday. Authorities said they have arrested four suspects and recovered a damaged Leganza they believe was involved in the incident, which was initially reported as a hit-and-run. One other person was resisting arrest and was "eliminated" as a suspect.The U.S. Embassy confirmed the attack with multiple sources and said that Tajikistan's ministry of internal affairs had detained one suspect and killed at least three others.Tajikistan had declared 2018 "a year of tourism" and authorities have been cautious about labeling the incident as terrorism."We are looking at versions that this was an accident, armed robbery, murder. The version of a terrorist act is also not being excluded," interior minister Ramazon Rakhimzoda told press in Dushanbe earlier today.The investigation has been put under the personal control of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.Rahmon sent telegrams expressing his condolences to President Donald Trump, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Swiss President Alain Berset, authorities said.In the letters, he was said to have told President Trump that Tajik authorities were doing everything they could to bring the perpetrators of the "vicious act" to justice.The roads through the mountains and valleys of Tajikistan and Central Asia are enticing to serious cyclists. The Pamir highway is said to be the second highest road on earth. Only the Karakoram Highway in neighboring China is higher, by a slender margin.Tajikistan is one of the poorest former Soviet republics and has struggled with poverty and instability since its independence in 1991. </s> Four cycling tourists, including two Americans, were killed in what may have been a terror attack in Tajikistan, authorities told ABC News.

A group of seven cyclists was heading north in Danghara district, about 55 miles southeast of the capital Dushanbe, when they were struck by a car with five armed people onboard on Sunday. Tajikistan’s interior minister said that, after striking the cyclists, the people in the car got out and attacked them with a firearm and a knife.

The two Americans, a woman and a man, were killed along with a Swiss man and a Dutch national. Authorities now believe it may have been a deliberate terrorist attack, although armed robbery has not been ruled out. Initial results of the Tajik investigation are expected to be available by Wednesday.

The U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe condemned the attack and sent condolences to the families on Monday. The embassy issued a security alert, urging safety precautions, but saying there was "no evidence that indicates a heightened level of threat to U.S. citizens."

The U.S. victims were not named, due to privacy concerns, but officials indicated they considered the incident to be an intentional attack.

"We strongly condemn the cruelty of the attackers and recognize that they in no way represent the kindness and hospitality of the Tajik people," the embassy said in a statement.

If the incident is confirmed to be terrorism, it would be the first time Americans have been killed in a terrorist attack outside the U.S. since an August 2017 attack in Barcelona.

Three other bikers who were Dutch and Swiss were also injured before the attackers drove away; one Swiss woman was stabbed and is no longer in critical condition. A French citizen was brought in for a check up, but sustained no injuries, a Tajik health official told ABC News.

Five attackers were involved in the incident, Tajik officials said earlier Monday. Authorities said they have arrested four suspects and recovered a damaged Leganza they believe was involved in the incident, which was initially reported as a hit-and-run. One other person was resisting arrest and was "eliminated" as a suspect.

The U.S. Embassy confirmed the attack with multiple sources and said that Tajikistan's ministry of internal affairs had detained one suspect and killed at least three others.

Tajikistan had declared 2018 "a year of tourism" and authorities have been cautious about labeling the incident as terrorism.

"We are looking at versions that this was an accident, armed robbery, murder. The version of a terrorist act is also not being excluded," interior minister Ramazon Rakhimzoda told press in Dushanbe earlier today.

The investigation has been put under the personal control of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.

Rahmon sent telegrams expressing his condolences to President Donald Trump, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Swiss President Alain Berset, authorities said.

In the letters, he was said to have told President Trump that Tajik authorities were doing everything they could to bring the perpetrators of the "vicious act" to justice.

The roads through the mountains and valleys of Tajikistan and Central Asia are enticing to serious cyclists. The Pamir highway is said to be the second highest road on earth. Only the Karakoram Highway in neighboring China is higher, by a slender margin.

Tajikistan is one of the poorest former Soviet republics and has struggled with poverty and instability since its independence in 1991.
Four cyclists, two Americans, one Dutch national and one Swiss national, are killed in the Khatlon Region, Tajikistan by a hit-and-run driver while three others are injured. A 21 year old male suspect has been arrested.