Resident Charged with Attempting to Set Fire to Community Leader's Car

On May 21, 2024, information was received regarding an attempt to set fire to a "Lexus" vehicle used by the head of the Kapan community in the Syunik region at approximately 19:45. Following this incident, a criminal case was initiated at the Syunik regional investigative department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia under points 2, 3, and 6 of Part 2 of Article 264 of the RA Criminal Code.

During the investigation, a series of actions were conducted which revealed significant circumstances of the case, including the motive and the identity of the individual allegedly committing the crime, who is a resident of the same community. Specifically, the investigation uncovered that this individual, dissatisfied with the delay in the process of privatizing the house owned by his family and obtaining an address, decided to destroy the "Lexus" vehicle used by the community leader, which had an estimated value exceeding 5 million AMD.

To this end, the individual had previously taken gasoline with him and poured it over the engine cover and windshield of the parked "Lexus" on Charents Street in Kapan. However, the crime was not committed due to circumstances beyond his control, as the fire was extinguished in time.

A motion was submitted to the prosecutor supervising the case to commence public criminal proceedings against the individual under points 2, 3, and 6 of Part 2 of Article 264 of the RA Criminal Code, which was granted. Subsequently, he was arrested by police officers and presented to the prosecuting authority. On the same day, he was charged under the specified articles.

A motion was filed with the court to apply pre-trial detention as a measure of restraint. By the court's decision, a combination of house arrest and a ban on leaving the country was applied as a restrictive measure. The investigation is ongoing.

Notice: The person accused of the crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a legally binding court judgment according to the procedures established by the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia.