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Kenya: Artur brothers arrested after airport gun drama

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  • Kenya: Artur brothers arrested after airport gun drama

    African News Dimension, South Africa
    June 10 2006

    Kenya: Artur brothers arrested after airport gun drama

    June 10, 2006,

    By ANDnetwork .com

    Alleged Armenian brothers Artur Margaryan and Artur Sagarsyan drew
    guns and triggered a terror alert at the Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta
    International Airport (JKIA) on Thursday night.

    And police yesterday afternoon recovered eight guns and 100 rounds of
    ammunition in the compound of the brothers' residence in Nairobi's
    up-market Runda estate.

    The same afternoon in a dramatic turn of events the men who recently
    addressed a news conference at the airport's VIP Lounge, were back at
    JKIA to face deportation.

    The men who have previously swaggered into and out of the airport
    without restriction were locked in the Prohibited Immigrants room to
    await deportation.

    That triggered fresh controversies for their acts were clearly of a
    criminal nature which should have seen them arraigned, but they were
    treated as if they had entered Kenya unlawfully.

    That prompted the Leader of the Official Opposition, Mr Uhuru
    Kenyatta, to accuse the Government of covering-up the illegal acts of
    the Armenians.

    The Liberal Democratic Party chairman, Mr David Musila, asked
    President Kibaki to tell Kenyans the true story of the Armenian. It
    emerged yesterday that the brothers had unrestricted access to
    Kenya's biggest airport given them by a senior Kenya Airport
    Authority (KAA) official without surrendering their guns.

    Margaryan and Sagarsyan forced their way out of the airport with over
    12 bags they yanked from the baggage's conveyor belt before they
    could be opened up for inspection.

    Investigations by the Saturday Standard revealed that the passes for
    the brothers were issued on February 10 while the other three for
    their "aides'' were issued on Thursday morning hours before they
    turned up at the airport to receive their "brother'' and "sister"
    from Dubai.

    The man and woman arrived with the bags with unidentified cargo and
    it was on their arrival that the airport drama began. Sagarsyan and
    Margaryan were allowed into the airport without screening, a
    privilege the KAA security booklet last revised in 2004 says is
    reserved for President and Cabinet members. The only other category
    of people exempted from this stringent rule is foreign envoys, and
    special groups who must be escorted to the plane's elevator by armed
    police.

    When the police later opened one of the bags following a commando
    raid at their plush Runda home, they found several fake local,
    foreign, diplomatic and Government vehicle registration plates.

    They also found black balaclavas, the kind of which the hooded
    policemen who raided the Standard and KTN offices donned. The bag was
    also stuffed with pistol holsters and camouflage military jackets.

    In the compound were 11 cars, some bearing GK plates. The vehicles
    included a BMW, three Toyota Harriers and other luxurious saloon
    cars.

    An official Criminal Investigation Department (CID) letter granting
    Margaryan the powers of a police officer was also found in the house.

    The police team also seized three computers and videotapes, which
    insiders revealed were similar to those taken away by the police
    during the March 2 media raid on Standard Group offices.

    The criminal acts by the Armenians are bound to lower the rating of
    Kenya's airport security. And Kenya will have to give a written
    explanation to the International Civil Aviation Authority within
    seven days for the acts of the foreigners were openly kid-gloved by
    security forces.

    After hours of procrastination and a ping-pong game of conflicting
    orders, the police moved in.

    Source : Eastandard
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