TBILISI: The president’s life in danger

The president’s life in danger

The Messenger, Georgia
Oct 28, 2004

As reported in Akhali Versia, the blast on Heroes Square on October
20 and weapons which were found in the Adjara Music Hall on October
23 have been connected with one name-Mikheil Saakashvili.

The organizers of the blast on Heroes Square left a letter near the
dustbin in the street addressed to “President Saakashvili immediately.”
Nobody knows whether the president has read this letter or not, as the
president himself has not made any comment on this incident. Three
days later, during the visit of Armenian president Robert Kocharian
to Georgia, weapons were found in the Adjara Music Hall, where both
presidents were attending a jazz concert in honor of Kocharian.

According to the Head of the Ministry of State Security’s Legal
Department, it is early to speak about an attempt on the presidents’
lives. “The Ministry of Security will comment on this only after we
have found the owners of the weapons,” he stated.

Former high-ranking official of the Security Service Irakli Batiashvili
spoke regarding the alleged attempt on Saakashvili’s life recently.
Batiashvili says that the president needs to be more careful and to
take appropriate measures to protect himself. “The fact of the weapons
is a very serious issue. I make my statement on the basis of concrete
facts and now will do my best to learn more. My forecast may be much
more serious than you can think,” stated Batiashvili. He said it was
possible that the incident in the nightclub could be a trial run for
a terrorist act, saying “This method is said to be typical of real
terrorist acts.”