Former Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia has been arrested. The relevant statement was made at the briefing at the State Security Service.

The State Security Service says that Akhalaia was detained as part of a criminal investigation into the events that took place in Tbilisi on October 4.

According to the investigation, the events of October 4 were led through an Internet application and the main organizer in Georgia was Bachana Akhalaia.

According to the State Security Service, a decision has been made to release Anna Nadareishvili, who was detained with Bachana Akhalaia, although the investigation will consider in the future, based on existing or other new evidence, whether she also participated in any way in the "crime committed jointly with her husband”.

"As is known to the public, the State Security Service is conducting a criminal case related to the fact of purchasing and storing a large amount of weapons, ammunition and explosive devices in parallel with the well-known criminal events of October 4, in which the accused Beka Chulukhadze is being investigated, and the investigation is working on the connection of this fact with the case of overthrowing the state government, as well as on the possible complicity of Bachana Akhalaia, Lasha Shergelashvili and other persons in the crime.

Many investigative actions have been carried out on the case, including, with a high standard of accuracy, with an accuracy of minutes and seconds, identifying data of Internet traffic, a telephone Internet connection between two persons, established through Internet applications of mobile phones.

After processing of the information extracted on the basis of the judge's rulings, it was established that the criminal events of October 4 were led through Internet applications, and its main organizer in Georgia was Bachana Akhalia.

To make it clearer for the public, we can explain in detail that between the organizers of the October 4th criminal events, their Internet applications, and Anna Nadareishvili's IP (in this case, the so-called "WiFi") addresses, which are registered at her current residential address, from 21:00 on September 28, 2025 until their arrest, numerous telephone Internet communications took place through Internet applications, namely, a total of 343 Internet sessions were recorded, including 157 with Murtaz Zodelava, 110 with Paata Burchuladze, 29 with Paata Manjgaladze, 26 with Lasha Beridze, 21 with Irakli Nadiradze 21. In addition, in parallel with the organization of a crime of a scale already well known to the public by the aforementioned individuals, Internet contact between Murtaz Zodelava and the IP address registered in the name of Bachana Akhalaia's wife Ana Nadareishvili took place several times during the day on October 4, namely: at 10:20 a.m.; 11:35 a.m.; 11:47 a.m.; 4:02 p.m. In this case, it is noteworthy that 4 minutes after the Internet contact, the protesters began marching towards Freedom Square. The following Internet sessions were recorded at 5:51 p.m.; 6:06 p.m. What is very noteworthy and provides a solid basis for drawing the appropriate conclusion is that on October 4, Murtaz Zodelava's last connection to the IP address registered in Anna Nadareishvili's name was made 9 minutes before her and Paata Burchuladze's violent calls - at 6:44 p.m., 11 minutes and 11 seconds!

On the same day, two telephone Internet contacts of Paata Burchuladze were recorded on the IP address registered in Anna Nadareishvili, the first at 9:21 a.m., and the second at 5:14 p.m.

As for Lasha Beridze, he had telephone internet connections with Bachana Akhalaia on October 4, during the day, at 10:39 a.m., 7:20 p.m., 7:21 p.m., 7:29 p.m., 7:32 p.m., 7:34 p.m., and 7:41 p.m. In this case, it is noteworthy that these internet contacts coincide with the period after the violent attack on the Presidential Palace began, and it is particularly noteworthy that Lasha Beridze was near the Presidential Palace at that time and, accordingly, was receiving directives from Bachana Akhalaia.

One more circumstance is very important: after the recording began to be released from various sources, which allegedly reflected a conversation between Bachana Akhalia and Paata Burchuladze about overthrowing the government, the form of communication with Murtaz Zodelava changed, after which an active Internet connection was recorded between him and the Internet applications of citizen Zviad Gagua's mobile phone.

The first such connection on October 4 via the Internet application was made at 20:12, and the following connections were made at 21:09; 21:15; 21:23 and 22:08. Gagua, as well as Bachana Akhalaia and Anna Nadareishvili, have been questioned by the investigation, and all three of them confirm that Zviad Gagua is a relative of the Akhalaias’ family and lives in their house. In this case, there is a reasonable assumption that the telephone Internet connection was not between Murtaz Zodelava and Zviad Gagua, but rather between Murtaz Zodelava and Bachana Akhalaia.

Of these Internet connections, the connection of Zodelava and Gagua mobile applications at 20:12 and 23 seconds is noteworthy, after which Murtaz Zodelava returned to the stage again, presented a new plan and called on the protesters to march towards the central office of the Georgian Dream.

As you can see, based on the evidence obtained, the identity of the main organizer of the October 4 criminal events in Georgia is unequivocally confirmed.

Accordingly, we have detained Bachana Akhalaia. The detained person and the criminal case will be transferred to the Central Criminal Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the purpose of merging with another criminal case, filing charges and conducting further investigation.

As for Anna Nadareishvili, who was detained together with Bachana Akhalaia, a decision has been made to release her from detention and the investigation will consider in the future, based on existing or other new evidence, whether she also participated in any way in the crime committed together with her husband. The aforementioned decision regarding Anna Nadareishvili was made despite the fact that Bachana Akhalaia refused to give any testimony at all, including the opportunity to answer the question - whether only he was in contact with other organizers of the crime, or whether his wife Anna Nadareishvili was also involved in this, thus he himself did not rule out his wife’s complicity in the crime," the State Security Service stated.