Armenian arrested in Glendale for pipe bomb possession December 13, 2011 - 13:20 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A 50-year-old man who was arrested Saturday, December 10, after turning in a pipe bomb to Glendale police allegedly told officers that two men were trying to kill him, so he built the device for protection. Saro Akhverdyan is expected to appear in the Los Angeles County Superior Court this week in connection with possessing the destructive device, which was safely detonated late Saturday outside police headquarters. No one was injured during the incident. Akhverdyan made the device after he suspected two men, on separate occasions, tried to track him down and kill him, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. Akhverdyan, a Glendale resident, was “paranoid,” Lorenz said, because he was certain the men were after him, although he was unable to articulate who they were. Akhverdyan allegedly told police he built the 6-inch-long and 3-inch-wide pipe bomb, which contained bullets, pellets and gun powder, for protection. At about 9 p.m. Saturday, Akhverdyan’s nephew and brother drove him to police headquarters on the 100 block of North Isabel Street to seek advice and assistance with the bomb, Lorenz said. Once Akhverdyan told police he had stored the bomb in the trunk of the family’s 2011 Toyota Camry, officers arrested him and called the Los Angeles County sheriff’s bomb squad, which used a robot to carry out the detonation. The bomb had the potential of killing or maiming anyone within 150 feet, Lorenz said, adding that it was built to kill or seriously injure someone. “There is no other purpose for it,” Lorenz said. Akhverdyan cooperated with police during their investigation, Lorenz added. Family members reportedly told police that they noticed Akhverdyan had been acting odd and had become extremely paranoid in the recent months. They had also taken him to an area hospital for help, Lorenz said. Akhverdyan remains in police custody in lieu of $500,000 bail. Lorenz urged residents who find an explosive device to leave it alone, to immediately call police for help, and not to transport it to the police department. “It’s the last place we want to see it at,” he said, Glendale News-Press reported.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity  The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization.Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia.Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty.Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |
