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Front News Georgia
The State Security Service of Georgia on Friday said it had arrested a wanted Georgian citizen in connection with an investigation into an alleged plot to organise mass violence and seize the presidential palace on 4 October 2025.
Speaking at a briefing, First Deputy Head of the body Lasha Maghradze said the suspect was detained in the neutral zone between Georgian and Armenian border crossing points following a four-day special operation involving several units of the agency.
He said the suspect is accused of acquiring and storing a large quantity of firearms, ammunition and explosive devices allegedly intended for acts of sabotage during the planned unrest and the alleged attempt to seize the presidential palace.
Maghradze said investigators believe the weapons cache, discovered in a concealed location in woodland near the capital city of Tbilisi on 4 October last year, had been procured on the instructions of a Georgian member of a military unit operating in Ukraine.
The State Security Service alleges the weapons and explosives were intended to be used by organisers of the planned unrest if required and said preventive operations carried out on 4 October had also thwarted an alleged attempt to transport the ammunition and explosives into central Tbilisi.
Maghradze said the suspect was charged in absentia on 6 October 2025 under Article 236(3) of Georgia's Criminal Code, which concerns the illegal acquisition and possession of firearms and explosives. A Tbilisi court ordered the suspect's pre-trial detention the following day, and a search warrant was issued on 8 October.
He added that investigators are also seeking additional evidence related to the alleged preparation of acts of sabotage and possible illegal border crossing.
The State Security Service further said it is investigating alleged contacts between the detained suspect, the individuals it claims directed his actions, former Defence Minister Bacho Akhalaia, opera singer and public figure Paata Burchuladze and other individuals whom the agency alleges were involved in organising the events of 4 October 2025.
