Teenager arrested for illegal possession of firearm after Tbilisi rally incident

Georgia’s Interior Ministry on Monday said patrol police officers had arrested a 15-year-old boy on suspicion of illegally purchasing, possessing and carrying a firearm and ammunition.

The Ministry said the incident took place on Monday near the Georgian Public Broadcaster building in Tbilisi, where around 30 activists were marching. At the intersection of Rustaveli Avenue and Besiki Street, they engaged in a verbal dispute with several bystanders, the MIA said. 

One of the bystanders allegedly brandished a pistol, prompting two protesters to chase him. The individual then entered a nearby café on Besiki Street, where activists restrained him and seized the weapon - believed on initial inspection to be a pneumatic pistol - before handing both the boy and the weapon over to patrol police officers.

If confirmed, the offence carries a maximum sentence of up to seven years in prison.