Tragic incident at Military Training Center
By Tea Mariamidze
Tuesday, October 25
Georgia’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) stated one killed attacker out of three was identified after they attempted to attack the Military Education and Training Support Center at Krtsanisi on October 23.
The MoD reports that the three men broke into the training center at about 3.30am. After a verbal warning, they did not obey the watchman’s instructions to leave the base and the guard had to carry out actions against the invasion within the law.
“The guard fired several times in the air but the invaders did not take any notice and attacked the guard with a fire extinguisher. After this the watchman had to shoot them,” the statement of the MoD reads.
The body of one of the attackers was found later, when the Military Police arrived at the scene. The body was discovered 97 meters away of the base. The deceased was identified as Giga Shengelia, 23, from the village of Jikhashkari in the Samegrelo region. The other two men managed to escape and their whereabouts are unknown.
Moreover, the police found items near the base: a mobile phone, a pistol, five bullets compatible with an AK-74 type assault rifle, and a lantern.
The investigation is underway by the Military Police Department of the MoD under the supervision of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia. The police are trying to identify the other two attackers.
The body of the dead attacker was transferred to the village of Jikhashkari in the Zugdidi Municipality. According to the family of the deceased man, he had no gun and could not have attacked the training center.
The family is going to consult alternative expertise, as they do not trust the information released by the MoD.
According to unofficial information, the second person out of three attackers is the brother of the deceased, named Giorgi Shengelia, who used to serve at the Krtsanisi Base in the past.
Ian Kelly, the United States (US) Ambassador to Georgia, expressed his concern over the incident and noted that the US side would work with the investigation to reveal the truth.
