Belarus KGB: "Has stopped assassination attempt on opposition leader"

Large crowds have once again taken to the streets of Belarus' capital Minsk to protest Sunday's election results and incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko. So far on Monday night, at least 30 people have been arrested, reports Reuters.

On Sunday, 3,000 people were arrested during the violent protests and dozens were injured in the police's attempt to disperse the crowds with water cannons and rubber bullets.

The Belarusian KGB, the country's intelligence service, went out on Monday and said that they had stopped an assassination attempt on opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya, who earlier in the day declared herself the winner of the election. This is despite the fact that according to the official, and questioned, result, she only received 8 percent of the votes.

Tichanovskaya accuses the authorities of electoral fraud and of using force against protesters to retain power.

- I am the rightful winner, she says according to AFP.

Several countries have expressed the same criticism, including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The British Foreign Office claims that the entire election process was characterized by a lack of transparency and that staff at the British embassy in the country were prevented from carrying out their duties as independent election observers.

Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde tells the news agency TT that the violence against the demonstrators is unacceptable and that Sweden is discussing possible consequences for the Belarusian state at EU level.

Lukashenko, on the other hand, does not seem to want to back down. He warned on Monday that protesters challenging the official election result would face harsh countermeasures.

- We will not allow them to tear this country apart, he says.