Gunmen shot an unknown number of policeman dead in the Kazakh city of Almaty, the Interior Ministry reported Monday.
"There are dead among the police officers. One of the attackers has been detained, one is at large," the ministry said in a statement, without confirming the number of dead.
At least two policemen were killed, security sources and witnesses told Reuters, in three nearly simultaneous attacks around the financial capital and largest city in Kazakhstan. At least seven policemen were wounded, according to state media.
Kazakhstan's national security committee said it has since raised the country's terror threat level to red in a statement released shortly after the attack.
The identities of the suspects have not been released, and a motive is not yet known.
The attack comes just a month after 20 people were killed in the city of Aktobe in Kazakhstan, when gunmen opened fire on a military base and a gun shop.