Bodyguard of Karabakh separatist leader arrested over 1998 Armenian official’s murder

Armenian authorities have arrested Sasun Arushanyan, a native of Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region, in connection with the 1998 murder of former Armenian Deputy Defense Minister Vaghram Khorkhoruni, the Investigative Committee said.

Arushanyan was reportedly the head of personal security for Samvel Babayan, a former commander of the self-proclaimed "Karabakh Defense Army." Two others — Artur Arakelyan and Hrayr Narimanyan — are listed as direct perpetrators.

Khorkhoruni was shot dead outside his home in Yerevan on the night of December 10, 1998. An investigation was launched with a joint task force involving the Ministry of Internal Affairs and National Security Service.