Azerbaijan’s State Security Service detains former separatist leaders Ghukasyan, Sahakyan, Ishkhanyan brought to Baku/VIDEO

Azerbaijan’s State Security Service continues criminal proceedings in connection with terrorist acts committed by illegal armed formations operating in the Garabagh region of Azerbaijan.

During the investigation, reasonable suspicions emerged that Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan and David Ishkhanyan, while holding the "posts" of "President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" and "Acting President", participated in the organisation and coordination of the activities of illegal armed formations in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Caliber.Az reports, citing the State Security Service.

They carried out attacks on organizations, administrative offices and individuals, which resulted in the death of people and other grave consequences, and supplied these formations with ammunition, explosives, military equipment and army equipment.

Sahakyan, Ghukasyan and Ishkhanyan are also suspected of illegally acquiring, transferring, storing, transporting and carrying firearms, their components, ammunition, explosive devices as part of an organised group, as well as of collecting and allocating money and other property to finance terrorist acts by illegal armed groups.

In addition, the detained leaders of separatists are accused of inciting ethnic hatred, organising terrorist acts accompanied by the death of people, causing harm to their health, significant property damage and other socially dangerous consequences, as well as organising the mining of Azerbaijani territories and other criminal acts.

As a result of the measures taken by the State Security Service, a native of Khankendi Arkady Ghukasyan (born 1957), a native of Khankendi Bako Sahakyan (born 1960) and a native of Khojavand district David Ishkhanyan (born 1958) were detained on October 3 and brought to criminal charges under Articles 214.2.1, 214.2.2, 214.2.3 (terrorism using firearms, explosives and devices by an organized group repeatedly), 214-1 (financing of terrorism), 214-3.2 (organizing training for the purpose of terrorism), 228.3 (illegal acquisition, storage, transportation and possession of firearms, their complete parts, ammunition, explosives and devices by an organized group in multiple occasions) and 279.3 (creating armed units and groups not provided for by legislation and participating in their activities) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.