On June 24th the ArmInfo News Agency issued the following statement, “Five citizens of Armenia have been arrested in Rome on suspicion of committing murder. The Press Department of the Armenian Foreign Ministry has substantiated to the ArmInfo reporter that Armenian citizens Artur Asatryan, Davit Ghazaryan, Vahe Boudaghyan and Mihran Mkrtchyan were arrested on June 14th and on June 20th Tigran Gyourdjyan was arrested.

According to sources, the above named Armenian citizens didn’t show up at Consulate’s registry.”

One of the arrested, Artur Asatryan, who goes by the nickname “Pepo” is a native of Etchmiadzin. “Hetq” has written about Pepo in the past (See: “Who Will Replace General Manvel in Etchmiadzin”). The murder, in which the Armenians were allegedly implicated in, took place in a restaurant in the city of Rome. The Italian press covered the story and tied the murder to the Russian mafia.

According to our sources, one of Pepo’s trusted confederates, let's call him “M. K.", a wrestler who has won many European and international competitions and who is a citizen of Armenia, was in Rome at the time and got wind that a criminal gang based in Odessa that had problems with Pepo’s boys in the past had sent a hired killer to Rome to wipe Pepo out.

After M.K. verified these facts he found out the whereabouts of Pepo in Rome and rushed to his side to save his friend’s life. Entering the restaurant he spotted Pepo and his guys sitting at a table a ways off in the distance. Seated at another table he spies a Russian-looking gentleman who fits the description of the triggerman he had been given. Certain that this guy is the killer, M.K. quickly approaches the man and stabs him to death with a knife, not uttering a word all the while.

Pepo and the boys are taken aback at the scene unfolding before them but quickly put two and two together and understand the reason for M.K.’s actions. Their assumptions are justified when a gun is found under a newspaper placed upon the table of the murdered Russian.

M. K., Pepo and friends, six individuals in all, are arrested on the spot. (The Italian Police claim that there was on Ukrainian citizen involved as well). Days before, during a telephone conversation with one of his Armenian friends, Pepo said that he’d be freed and that he’d only need a positive character reference from Armenia. Our sources certify that the Etchmiadzin Municipality dispatched a glowing personal profile of Artur Asatryan to Rome, describing the man as a humble, virtuous and sincere citizen.

One of Artur’s old Etchmiadzin cronies stated that, “If this personal reference saves his hide this time from being thrown into jail there is nothing that can save him from eventually being knocked-off. The rules of the Mafia are quite unforgiving. If they decide to remove you rest assured that’s what will happen sooner or later.