Three Armenians arrested on suspicion of arms trafficking to US

Agence France Presse
March 21 2005

Published: 3/21/2005
AFP

YEREVAN – Three Armenian nationals suspected of being involved with a
criminal ring trafficking assault weapons to the United States were
arrested in Armenia, the deputy head of Armenia’s national security
agency, Grach Arutunian, said Monday.

On March 15 the United States announced that it was prosecuting 18
people suspected of attempting to bring illegal assault weapons from
eastern Europe across US borders.

Among them is 26-year-old Armenian Artur Solomonian, who has been
sought by Armenian police for desertion since 2002.

According to Arutunian, the three recently arrested suspects were
“in permanent contact with Solomonian, and on his orders took pictures
of weapons in an Armenian military detachment.”

US FBI agent Bryan Paarmann is taking part in the recently opened
Armenian investigation.

So far there are no missing weapons from the photographed detachment.