Georgian State Security Service said it has prevented a terrorist act on a gas pipeline running through Georgia and carrying Russian gas to Armenia.

The security agency said on Monday that as a result of “months-long efforts”, its counter-intelligence unit arrested on August 20 five citizens of Georgia, who allegedly were plotting an explosion of a section of the gas pipeline, located close to the village of Saguramo outside Tbilisi.

They are facing charges of illegal possession of firearms, ammunition, and explosives with “the purpose of carrying out a terrorist attack by a group.”

The State Security Service said that the five men were arrested shortly after they took 4 TNT 200-gram blocks and other parts of explosives from a cache, located in a forest in the vicinity of the Zhinvali-Shatili highway.

The State Security Service said that two other men were also arrested – a patrol police officer, who is facing charges of abuse of power and another man on charges of not reporting the crime.

The prosecution wants pre-trial detention for all seven arrested men; the court has to decide on the motion on August 22.
 
One of the journalists at the briefing asked the State Security Service official if the arrested men had “links to Ukraine” – the journalist said that his question was stemming from a post on a social media by one of the Georgian volunteer fighters in Ukraine, who wrote that their supporters had been arrested in Georgia.
 
An investigator from the State Security Service, Savle Motiashvili, responded: “According to available information, one of the arrested men was visiting Ukraine often, but it is not yet clear whether this criminal group was directed from Ukraine.”

He declined to discuss details of the ongoing investigation.

PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili, who said that “a huge disaster” has been prevented, also declined to comment on details, citing ongoing investigation.

“I think that the State Security Service has worked very efficiently and I want to thank all those people involved in this operation, because a huge disaster has been prevented. I will refrain from further comments as the investigation is still ongoing. One thing is clear – a huge threat has been prevented,” said PM Kvirikashvili, who was on a campaign trail in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region on August 22.

Some analysts have suggested that reference to Ukraine, mentioned by the State Security Service official, might be an attempt in the midst of election campaign to indirectly point the finger at ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is now governor of Odessa region in Ukraine.

Some opposition politicians have also criticized the State Security Service for making unclear allusion to Ukraine.

“It means the State Security Service suspects that the terrorist act was plotted from Ukraine… If your suspicion falls on the [United] National Movement [party] and Misha [Saakashvili], then say that you are trying to find out if it was masterminded by Misha” without mentioning Ukraine, wrote on her Facebook page former defense minister Tina Khidasheli, whose Republican Party was ruling GDDG party’s partner in the coalition government before late July.

While commenting on the alleged “terrorist act”, a senior lawmaker from the GDDG ruling party, Irakli Sesiashvili, also mentioned that one of the arrested men was often visiting Ukraine, but also added that he was not pointing the finger at anyone.

“As we know from the preliminary information, this group was related neither to the Islamic State, nor with other terrorist groups. The investigation will have to gather more information. It was mentioned that one of the arrested men was often visiting Ukraine – that’s also important information. I keep political correctness and I am not pointing finger at anyone at all,” said MP Sesiashvili, who chairs defense and security committee in the outgoing parliament.