Accessibility links

Breaking News

Grenade Suspect Charged With Policeman's Murder In Georgia


Arutyunian (file photo) 22 July 2005 (NCA) -- A Tbilisi resident suspected of throwing a faulty hand grenade toward President Mikheil Saakashvili and visiting U.S. President George W. Bush last May was charged today with the murder of a police officer.

Vladimir Arutyunian, a 27-year-old ethnic Armenian, was arrested yesterday following a shoot-out in which he killed the head of the Interior Ministry's counter-intelligence department.

Meanwhile, photographs posted today on the Interior Ministry's website show Arutyunian allegedly holding a grenade wrapped in a red handkerchief, minutes before throwing it at Bush and Saakashvili.

The ministry yesterday released a video showing Arutyunian admitting to throwing the device with the aim of harming Bush.

But Tbilisi Prosecutor Giorgi Ghviniashvili today said Arutyunian had not confessed to investigators, making it impossible to charge him over the grenade incident.

(imedi tv ge/novosti-gruziya ge/civil georgia/www.police.ge)

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG