YEREVAN. – news.am report Former Deputy Defense Minister and former Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia, Vahan Shirkhanyan, on Saturday was detained within the framework of the criminal case which the National Security Service (NSS) is investigating.

Shirkhanyan is suspected of partaking in the criminal association formed by Artur Vardanyan, working for it, and having a specific role and commitment, the NSS Press Center informed.

On November 25, the NSS Armenia rendered ineffective, in capital city Yerevan, a criminal gang that is suspected of plotting grave crimes.

The NSS had received an operative information, according to which Armenian citizen Artur Vardanyan (born in 1981), who lived in Spain since 1997 and who resides in Armenia since 2015, had set up and led a criminal gang with the objective of committing serious crimes.

To implement the aforementioned objective, the gang had unlawfully acquired a large quantity of weapons and ammunition, which were hidden in a house that was rented in Yerevan.

During the NSS search that was conducted at the house—and jointly with the police—automatic rifles, pistols, grenade launchers, grenades, explosives and explosive devices, communications equipment, and several other types of ammunition were found, and all gang members were detained.

A criminal case was launched into this incident, and a respective investigation is in progress.