Chechen arrested after a clash near checkpoint in Pankisi Gorge

A person of Chechen descent who opened fire on Georgian servicemen has been arrested near a checkpoint in the Pankisi Gorge. This information was disclosed on Friday in the press centre of the Georgian Interior Ministry.

In the late hours of Thursday, a car travelling near a Georgian police checkpoint in the Pankisi gorge was ordered to stop for papers examination. The driver ignored the order. After a warning shot, the car stopped. The people who went out of it opened fire on the Georgian checkpoint. The servicemen opened return fire leaving one attacker wounded. The bandit named Isa Muradov, 30, was subsequently arrested. Another two attackers had to flee to the nearby forest.

According to the Georgian Interior Ministry, the two escapees were also wounded.

Later on, the escapees repeatedly attacked the checkpoint, but servicemen of the Georgian Interior and State Security Ministries successfully refuted the attack.

Law-enforcers have launched an operation to find and arrest the escaped attackers.