In a follow-up to news that it had today uncovered a criminal gang in Yerevan planning to stage “serious crimes”, Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) now reports that the alleged mastermind of the conspiracy is Artour Vardanyan, a citizen of Armenia living in Spain since 1997.

The NSS says that Vardanyan returned to Yerevan in April of this year and had recruited 19 individuals, mostly unemployed, in his group.

The NSS says that three of the 19 are Artsakh War veterans.

As proof that the group was planning to carry out criminal acts in Armenia, the NSS says it confiscated maps of Yerevan and Gyumri in today’s raid on a house in Yerevan’s Nork district.

In an earlier statement, the NSS said it seized a large weapons cache and arrested nine individuals including Vardanyan at the rental house in Nork.

Those arrested have been charged according to Article 223 of the RA Criminal Code (Creation of criminal associations or participation in criminal association) and Article 235 (Illegal procurement, transportation or carrying of weapons, ammunition, explosives or explosive devices).