Five persons suspected of this crime have been detained, though they have not been officially named and in the coming days a decision will be made on the application of security measures to the detainees – including whether they should remain in custody given the seriousness of the alleged crime.
On Thursday, July 25, the law enforcement officers of the Riga Region Administration of the State Police arrested five persons on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. Two of the detainees have previously been punished for the distribution of narcotic substances.
In searches on July 25 and 26, five residences and ten vehicles were searched. A total of €53,000 in cash was seized, along with five firearms or replicas, two of which are believed to be real firearms with live ammunition and one with a silencer. Police provided photos of some of their finds.
Also, about 17 kg of marijuana, about 40 units of various types of data carriers (mobile phones, computers, etc.), two GPS tracking trackers, two radio signal suppressors, two walkie-talkies, and an optical sight with night vision were found and confiscated as well as parts of State Police and municipal police uniforms.
The Acting Chief of the State Police, Andrejs Grišins, informed journalists on Friday about the arrests in connection with the possible plot to murder a state official – which potentially carries a sentence of life imprisonment or deprivation of liberty from 15 to 20 years.
Grišins would not confirm the name of the target of the alleged plotters, but did say it was someone within the State Police and linked to their professional activities. Media have reported that the target was Romans Jašins, currently the head of the Cybercrime Combating Department of the Criminal Police Department of the State Police, formerly deputy head of the Serious and Organized Crime Combating Department, though this is unofficial speculation.
Similarly, though the identities of the suspects have not been revealed by police, media have stated that among those detained is the son of Aleksandrs Babenko, currently one of the defendants on trial for the murder of lawyer Mārtiņš Bunkus.
Grišins said that while attempts to kill police and other officials such as border guards, were not unknown, they had not been common in recent years. Investigations continue into this example to uncover the exact intentions and timeframe of the suspects, Grišins said. He also warned others who might be thinking of threatening police officers that "our response will be firm, sharp... but in line with the law".
"From the facts presented, we can see that, when conducting procedural actions, the composition of other criminal offenses is already emerging," said the police chief.
