Explosives Found Near CP Offices, SMS Sent Before Bombing

In recent days, bombs have been planted near the office areas of the Civil Contract Party (CP). On February 22, a bomb was discovered near the UN office of CP member Gurgen Arsenyan in the Arabkir district, and on February 26, another bomb was found near the CP office adjacent to Arsenyan's area. Despite the bomb disposal operation, Deputy Police Chief Aram Hovhannisyan announced that the discovered object was not explosive, but rather a ‘dummy’ (fake template), which has been neutralized. However, members of the CP do not believe this version and think that the police are covering up their incompetence. They assert that a real bomb was placed near Arsenyan's and the CP's office. This was reported by ‘Hraparak’.

“The CP members argued in a private conversation that about 15 days earlier, a bomb was also planted near the fence of CP MP Gagik Melkonyan’s house in the Noy district, which did not have great power but exploded, causing material damage. There is also a fact that indicates a pre-planned act: on February 20, both Gurgen Arsenyan and the head of the State Security Service (SSS), CP board member Romanos Petrosyan, received almost identical text messages on their phones that read, ‘Haven’t you blown it up yet, huh...?’ Arsenyan deleted the offensive message immediately and did not realize it was a warning and potential material evidence. Only two days later, upon visiting his office, he saw that the guard had discovered a suspicious item, and that was when he understood what the unknown person had written and alerted the law enforcement agencies. Romanos Petrosyan forwarded his received message to the SSS.

Law enforcement searched several CP offices for bombs for several days and did not find anything. It was only on February 26 that the cleaner at the Arabkir office discovered the bomb and alerted the police. In the CP, they believe that the police announced that the bomb was not real in order to cover up their inaction. Gurgen Arsenyan confirmed in our conversation that both he and Romanos Petrosyan received such messages, and that there was an explosion near Melkonyan’s house,” the newspaper reported.