MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. The Khimki city court in the Moscow Region handed down an eight-year prison term to US citizen Andre Khachaturian detained in the transit area of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport with a combat pistol and rounds, a TASS correspondent reported from the court on Tuesday.

"The court ruled to find Khachaturian guilty of smuggling and sentence him to eight years in a general-security prison," the judge announced the court’s verdict.

Khachaturian was found guilty under part 1 of article 226.1 ("Arms and Ammunition Smuggling") and part 1 of article 222 ("Illegal Acquisition, Transfer, Storage, Transportation, Conveyance or Carriage of Explosives") of Russia’s Criminal Code.

Khachaturian was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport on December 26, 2021 on his Aeroflot flight from the United States to Yerevan through Moscow. The police seized a Glock 17 pistol and rounds from the US national. After his detention, he was remanded in custody.

During the judicial proceedings, the defense team requested the court to acquit Khachaturian under article 222 of Russia’s Criminal Code due to a lack of evidence. As the counsel for the defense maintained, the airline accepted the briefcase with the pistol for storage in the baggage hold while Khachaturian was certain that he did not breach any laws and the pistol was not specially hidden and was stowed in the luggage together with other belongings. Attorney Igor Bushmanov said that his defendant repented for failing to formalize the documents on the arms carriage properly and requested the court to take note of this fact.

The defense team said that it considered the court’s verdict as too severe and would appeal against it.