Baku, October 5, AZERTAC

A criminal investigation is being continued by the State Security Service into the terrorist acts committed by illegal armed units operating in the Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the State Security Service told AZERTAC.

It says that reasonable suspicion has been established during the investigation that Arkadi Arshaviri Ghukasyan, Bako Sahaki Sahakyan and Davit Rubeni Ishkhanyan created armed groups in contravention of the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan while acting as so-called “presidents of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic” and “interim president” respectively, organized their activities, supplied these illegal armed groups with weaponry, ammunition, explosives, military equipment and hardware, organized raids on offices, organizations and individuals causing the death of people and other serious consequences, illegally acquired, transferred, stored, transported firearms, their parts, ammunition, explosives with full knowledge that money and other property would be used directly and indirectly by these illegal armed groups for the purpose of committing acts of terror by means of their deliberate collection, allocation and distribution.

Reasonable suspicion has also been established of the fact that the mentioned individuals are responsible for organizing terrorist acts in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In order to learn the methods of committing such acts, trainings were organized on the use of firearms, explosive substances and devices, toxic substances, other dangerous technical means, and use of firearms with the intention of pursuing ethnic bigotry and hostility in order to kill people, harm their health, cause significant damage to their property, disrupt public order, sow panic among the population, influence decision-making by state authorities and international organizations, as well as continuously engage in mining of territories and other actions.

As a result of the actions carried out by the State Security Service, Arkadi Ghukasyan, born in the city of Khankendi in 1957, Bako Sahakyan, born in the same city in 1960, and Davit Ishkhanyan, born in the Khojavand district of Azerbaijan in 1958, were arrested on October 3, 2023. Charges were brought against them under Articles 214.2.1, 214.2.2, 214.2.3 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan (terrorism by repeated use of firearms, explosives and devices by an organized gang), 214-1 (financing terrorism), 214-3.2 (organization of trainings with the purpose of terrorism), 228.3 (repeated illegal acquisition, storage, transportation and movement of firearms, their parts, ammunition, explosives and devices by an organized group) and 279.3 (creating armed groups and units not provided for by law and participation in their activities).

Investigative and operational measures on the criminal case are being continued.