The State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) has uncovered a large weapons and explosives cache in a forested area near the village of Lechuri, Telavi Municipality, the agency announced on Monday.
Based on the statement, the discovery was made as part of an ongoing investigation launched in 2017 against the terrorist group led by Akhmed Chataev, the Chechen-born militant connected to international terrorist networks and the 2017 Tbilisi counter-terrorism operation.
“As part of the investigation launched in 2017 against Chataev and his group, the Counter-Terrorism Center of the State Security Service received operational information that part of the group’s ammunition had been hidden after their neutralization,” the SSSG said.
Acting on the new intelligence, officers from the Counter-Terrorism Center conducted a search in the designated area and found:
- Five pistols
- 161 cartridges
- Three hand grenades
- Various types of explosives, including TNT
- First-aid and medical items
The hidden arsenal, investigators say, had been stored for years following the neutralization of Chataev’s network, which was responsible for terrorist plots targeting Georgian and foreign citizens.
The SSSG confirmed that the investigation is ongoing under Articles 323, 331, 344, 328, and 236 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, covering crimes such as terrorism, participation in a terrorist organization, and illegal possession of explosives and weapons.
Akhmed Chataev, a notorious ISIS-linked militant, led a terrorist cell that engaged Georgian security forces in a major counter-terrorist operation in Tbilisi’s Gabriel Salosi Street in November 2017. The raid resulted in Chataev’s death and the dismantling of his group, which was believed to have been planning attacks on foreign diplomatic missions and public spaces in Georgia.
The recent discovery in Telavi suggests that remnants of the group’s weapons and logistical materials remained hidden for years, underscoring the long-term threat posed by underground terrorist networks and the continuing counter-terrorism efforts by Georgian security services.
