ARMENIAN LAWMAKER SHOT IN CASINO ROW IN CENTRAL MOSCOW

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Sept 26 2007

( RIA Novosti ) – An Armenian member of parliament was seriously
wounded early Wednesday after being shot in the casino of the Metropol
hotel in central Moscow, a spokesman for the Armenian embassy said.

Tigran Arzankantsyan, 41, is currently undergoing an operation in a
Moscow hospital.

The preliminary reports say the assault occurred following a quarrel
between several people, one of whom opened fire.

None of the hotel guests were injured. The assailant and his accomplice
fled the scene.

An investigation is underway and a criminal case has been opened.

The Armenian lawmaker and businessman arrived in Moscow on a private
trip, which was unconnected with the latest visit by Armenian Prime
Minister Serge Sarkisyan to the Russian capital, the spokesman said.

On Tuesday Arzankantsyan met with Armenian students in Moscow as part
of the country’s governmental delegation to Russia.

The spokesman said the incident was not linked with Sarkisyan’s
meeting with his Russian counterpart on Tuesday for the first time
since Viktor Zubkov’s nomination.