According to lawyer Giorgi Kavlashvili, the person who was carrying a firearm on Rustaveli Avenue during the rally and was arrested by the police for this reason is a firearms collector.
The lawyer stated that the detainee had no connection to the protest and was moving on foot due to a blocked road.
“As we know, according to our information, he had planned to go hunting. He is a collector and gathers firearms. He owns multiple weapons, all completely legal and registered. He simply happened to be at that location and had to get out of the car because the road was blocked. Considering the large number of people around, he thought it would be safer to carry the firearm, which he was legally allowed to possess. Mikhail Leshkasheli owns 22 registered firearms. This person has a passion for weapons. The only firearm he had was a ‘Geko’-type rifle left to him after his father’s death; his father was a military officer, a high-ranking official. He was informed of the charges. This person had no intention or real connection to the protest itself,” Giorgi Kavlashvili told TV Pirveli.
For reference, the Ministry of Internal Affairs arrested a person who, during the rally on Rustaveli Avenue on September 2, was moving among protesters with a firearm. According to the Ministry, during investigative actions, law enforcement seized various types of firearms and ammunition from the detainee’s residence. The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia charged him with the illegal acquisition and possession of firearms. The investigation determined that the suspect had illegally acquired and possessed firearms. During a search of the detainee’s residence, 22 different firearms and 810 rounds of ammunition were seized, all of which will undergo the appropriate forensic examination.
According to the lawyer, the person who was carrying a firearm on Rustaveli Avenue during the rally and was arrested by the police for this reason is a firearms collector and “has no connection whatsoever to the protest”
