Friday, November 27 2015 12:36

The citizens detained on suspicion of attempting terror attacks in Armenia have started giving evidence, Mikayel Hambardzumyan, Deputy Head of the Investigation Department of the National Security Service of Armenia, said at a press conference on November 27. He noted that the NSS will request choosing arrest as a measure of restraint.    

He said that the criminal group detained in Yerevan on November 25 is unprecedented in terms of armament, cruelty and danger of the plotted crimes. Hambardzumyan said that the group was getting huge funds. "Dozens of thousands of dollars were transferred to him in Armenia. Now the sources of funding are being found out," he said. Though the group members used all possible methods of conspiracy, the activity of the group caught the eye of the NSS employees as soon as Arthur Vardanyan, the head of the group, arrived in Armenia from Spain in April 2015. "The group had clear tasks and a well-thought-out action plan. The possible crimes were plotted against the citizens, public figures and politicians, as well as against certain power branches and state structures," said Hambardzumyan. He added that the NSS is currently finding out the complicity of the group in terrorist organizations. "The head of the criminal group, Arthur Vardanyan, was in Syria and the NSS is investigating both the scope of his activity in Syria and his possible contacts," he said. Hambardzumyan added that the investigation is still going on and the number of detainees may grow. The security measures in some state and public establishments are being tightened. 

The NSS representative stated that following the detention of 10 members of the group, the real evidence was seized and an investigation report was drawn up. The damage inflicted to the house in the course of the operation will be compensated for.     

To recall, on November 25 the National Security Service of Armenia detained the group, which was going to commit a number of grave crimes in Armenia. The NSS website reports that a citizen of Armenia Arthur Vardanyan (born in 1981) who left for Spain in 1997 and returned to Armenia quite recently - in April 2015 - for temporary residence, created and headed a gang pursuing heavy crimes. The gang comprised 19 mainly unemployed citizens, including 4 women and 3 participants in the Artsakh War. Five of the gang members were citizens of Yerevan, with the others being residents of the regions.  The gang rented the house No.78 in the Street No.9 in Nork Marash, an administrative district in Yerevan, and plotted crimes for a period of a month. On November 25, after joint measures taken with the Armenian Police, arms, including AK-74 automatic rifle, TT pistol gun, hunter's gun, more than 5,000 shells, 46 grenade of RG type, self-made explosives, an anti-tank mine, 1,200gr of triton, grenades, 2 anti-tank grade launchers, and ammunition, uniforms, and communication means were confiscated. Maps and schemes of Yerevan and Gyumri were found in the house. The Investigative Department of the Armenian National Security instituted a criminal case based on Article 223, Parts 1 and 2, and Article 235 Part 3 of the Armenian Criminal Code. Investigation is underway.