Gyumri Man Arrested for False Bomb Threats

YEREVAN — Armenian law-enforcement authorities have arrested the man who called August 15 and August 16 with two false bomb threats and was charged with false reports of terrorism, the Prosecutor General’s office announced Friday.

An anonymous caller told police Monday and Tuesday he was planning to plant bombs at the regional tax and customs office in Gyumri, Armenia’s second city, as well as several other government buildings.

Police officers and specialists from the Ministry of Emergency Situations quickly determined that the bomb threats were false and confirmed that no explosive devices had been planted.

The arrested man was identified as resident of Gyumri J.S. He was detained on August 16 and the next day, the prosecutor supervising the investigation made a decision to institute proceedings against J.S. under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of Armenia for giving false information on terrorism, which created panic, paralyzing the work of several government institutions in Gyumri.

On August 18, a petition for his arrest as a preventive measure was filed with the court of general jurisdiction of the Shirak region, which was granted the same day.