Headquarters of Georgian opposition candidate set on fire in Tbilisi
On the outskirts of Tbilisi, the election headquarters of one of the opposition leaders, Nika Melia, was set ablaze earlier this morning.
Nika Melia is a leader of the United National Movement, the party founded by ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, currently in Ukraine.
Stones were thrown into the office, windows broken and Molotov cocktails thrown inside, as a result of which a fire broke out in the office, an employee of the headquarters Tamar Zerekidze told InterpressNews.
“The building burned down, there was no one in the headquarters then. According to our information, an investigation has been launched into the incident,” Tamar Zerekidze said.
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video filmed by Mtavari Arkhi shows footage of a broken window, as well as burnt-out furniture and an office unsuitable for work.
According to the head of the headquarters, two gasoline bottles were found on the scene.
“The identity of the attackers has not been established yet. At 6 o’clock in the morning, we learned that there was a fire in the office. Broken glass and two bottles of gasoline were found in the building. They were going to burn it down completely, but they could not,” said the chief of staff.
Now, as the live broadcast of the TV channel shows, the place of the fire is fenced off with a yellow tape, law enforcement officers are working on the spot. They are checking camera footage from nearby facilities, the chief of staff said.
“Nika Melia was not forgiven for his victory in Gldani,” said Tristan Petriashvili, a member of the United National Movement.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the investigation was launched under Article 187, which provides for damage or destruction of other people’s property.
