Yerevan court releases phone recording of 2015 syndicate ringleader

The trial of the gunmen, dubbed the Nork Marash armed group, continued April 6 in a Yerevan court. At today’s trial session, the court released a phone recording of Arthur Vardanyan, the ringleader of the syndicate.

In the recording the ringleader is discussing acquisition of firearms with Hakob Hakobyan, a member of the group who has been sentenced to over three years imprisonment for other charges.

On the tape, the two discuss the prices of TT and Makarov handguns and Kalashnikov machine guns and ammo. Hakobyan was allegedly unaware about Vardanyan’s intentions to use the weapons for an attempted coup. The syndicate led by Arthur Vardanyan had planned to overthrow the government.

Armenian intelligence agencies said the syndicate planned to down the presidential aircraft, attack the presidential residence, the governmental HQ, the Parliament Seat, the Constitutional Court building and other state buildings.

Intelligence agencies gathered the information and apprehended all members of the syndicate in November 2015, when national security agents stormed the compound of the syndicate in Yerevan’s Nork Marash district. The location of the compound was the reason why the media dubbed the syndicate – Nork Marash Armed Group.