Abkhazia: Presidential Assassination Suspect Dead
By Ria Novosti
The former police chief of the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia shot himself after being linked to the attempt at the life of Abkhaz President Alexander Ankvab, local prosecutors said on Tuesday.
The body of Almasbei Kchach was found in his apartment in the local city of Gagry clutching a gun and with a gun wound to the head, prosecutors said in a statement.
The death was ruled suicide, though a check was still ongoing Tuesday, the statement said.
Local law enforcements said they had evidence of Kchach’s involvement in the assault on Ankvab and were looking to arrest him. They did not elaborate what motives Kchach could have for the attack.
In February, Ankvab’s motorcade ran on a mine on a local highway and came under fire from attackers with machine guns and a grenade launcher. Ankvab escaped unharmed, but two of his guards were killed.
Six people were detained last week in connection with the case, though the court later ordered the release of two of them.
The 54-year-old Kchach, who is survived by three children, was Abkhaz Interior Minister in 1996-2003 and later supervised personal security for Ankvab’s predecessor Vladislav Ardzinba, who died of unspecified health problems in 2010.
