MIA: “terrorist attack” attempt thwarted in Kutaisi

Georgian law enforcers thwarted a “terrorist attack” attempt in Kutaisi early on March 31, Georgian media outlets reported on Thursday. According to reports, two men, reportedly the residents of the town of Zugdidi, were detained in Georgia’s second largest city while attempting to install explosives at the buildings of Kutaisi Mayor’s Office and Kutaisi House of Justice in order to “blow them up”.

Police found a “big amount” of TNT in the center of Kutaisi, media reported. According to the law enforcers, the explosives were supposed to go off simultaneously. Kutaisi residents told The Messenger that the center of the town was “heavily guarded” by Special Forces since Thursday morning. Police officers installed a special fence around the Mayor’s Office building and closed the roads around the two buildings, according to locals.

According to the Georgian Interior Ministry, the detainees - Manuchar Dzadzua and his cousin, Avtandil Dzadzua confessed that Russian officer, Valodya, handed them the explosives and ordered them to blow them up at Regional Administrative building, at Justice House and at the Labour Party office in Kutaisi. The Interior Ministry said in a special statement that the Georgian law enforcers detained another suspect Kalistrate Malania – a resident of Orsantia village, Samegrelo region, who allegedly helped Manuchar Dzadzua and Avtandil Dzadzua to transport explosives from Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia.

Meanwhile, Barnov Street in downtown Tbilisi was blocked yesterday as mine clearers were working on identifying a “suspicious” plastic bag. According to witnesses, an unidentified man put the bag at the Round Garden in Vake district, close to the UN premises and left with a car. Local residents called police, as they were suspicious that the bag might have contained explosives. Police closed the roads around the Garden and called mine clearers. Journalists and local residents were asked to leave the site. Mine clearers blew up the plastic bag and according to the law enforcers, after examining the remains of the bag, it turned out that it did not contain any explosives.