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TBILISI -- Georgian police have arrested a son of the country's first post-Soviet leader, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, on charges of trying to overthrow pro-Western President Mikheil Saakashvili, a senior government source said Thursday.
The source, who asked not to be identified, said Tsotne Gamsakhurdia was arrested at the Tbilisi airport.
"We detained him [Wednesday] when he flew into the airport," the source said.
Tsotne Gamsakhurdia was charged in late 2007 with an attempted coup and links with Russian security services after opposition protests against Saakashvili.
Saakashvili came to power in the 2003 Rose Revolution and shocked Western allies when he used riot police to crush the protests in November 2007. Georgian authorities said they had foiled a coup and accused Russia of stirring up disorder.
Tsotne's father was president of Georgia from 1990 to 1991.
Son of Former President Held
05 September 2008
Reuters
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