Threat to Blow Up Government Buildings: Details

On October 26, 2024, at 23:07, a report was received regarding a citizen who had entered the building of the Armenian government ministries and exhibited aggressive behavior. The individual was located by police officers and taken to the police station while shouting that he had arrived at Republic Square with a fuel truck to blow it up.

This was reported by the Investigative Committee of Armenia. On the same day, at 23:11, a report was received from the Traffic Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs about an unknown individual who had parked a fuel truck in the center of Republic Square and then fled the scene. Additionally, a report was received from the police that the unidentified citizen had stolen a fuel truck of an unknown brand from a gas station located on the Yerevan-Sevan highway and left in an unknown direction.

A criminal case was initiated by the Investigative Committee of Armenia's Central and Norq Marash administrative districts under articles 263 part 1, 264 part 1, and 297 part 1 of the Criminal Code. It was determined that the mentioned individual is a 36-year-old resident of Yerevan. He was arrested based on reasonable suspicion of committing criminal acts.

During the preliminary investigation, inspections of the crime scenes were conducted at Republic Square and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports, which revealed that a "KAMAZ" fuel truck was parked in the central part of Republic Square. It was also established which company owned the fuel truck, and it was found that there was no gasoline in its storage.

Investigations revealed that on the day of the incident, around 22:30, the 36-year-old man entered the second building of the Armenian government, demanded a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and expressed grievances. A conflict arose between the police officer on duty and the individual. Noticing the individual’s inadequate and aggressive behavior, the officer withdrew his service weapon, after which the man left the scene and entered the reception of the opposite building. There, he refused to comply with the police officer's request to leave, punched and broke the monitor at the security checkpoint, then went upstairs, threw pictures stuck on the wall to the ground, tore off boxes intended for envelopes, and dislodged a clay statuette from its installation site. It was only after other police officers arrived that they managed to neutralize the individual.

During the investigation, several individuals were questioned. Measures are being taken by the investigative body to clarify the circumstances surrounding the theft of the fuel truck from the gas station on the Yerevan-Sevan highway, the involvement of the arrested individual, and any other significant circumstances related to the case. The investigation continues.

Notice: An individual accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court's decision that has entered into legal force in accordance with the procedures established by the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia.