YEREVAN, October 21. /TASS/. Armenia’s Investigative Committee has held 33 people as part of an investigation into mass riots at a rally in support of Vardan Gukasyan, mayor of the city of Gyumri, committee spokesperson Kima Advalyan told TASS.

"As many as 33 people were detained in Gyumri as part of criminal proceedings based on charges of mass riots and obstruction of justice," she said.

Earlier, Armenia’s Investigative Committee announced that a criminal investigation had been opened into mass riots and obstruction of justice following the events that took place in front of the Gyumri mayor’s office when law enforcement officers tried to detain Gukasyan on charges of bribery.

Law enforcement officers came to search the Gyumri mayor’s office on the morning of October 20. Later, the Armenian Anti-Corruption Committee reported that eight individuals had been taken into custody in a major bribery case. A court ruled that Gukasyan be taken into custody for two months. Several thousand people came to the mayor’s office to prevent his detention.

Gukasyan was elected Gyumri’s mayor on the Armenian Communist Party ticket. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly criticized his election, pointing to the need to "resolve the issue."