TBILISI. Aug 5 (Interfax-AVN) - A group of armed Chechen rebels that crossed into Georgia on Sunday will be detained on Monday, President Eduard Shevardnadze told national radio.
The rebel gang violated the Georgian-Russian state border at about 10:30 p.m. Moscow time (1830 GMT). At present the gang is sealed off, Shevardnadze said.
According to him, seven armed Chechens that violated the same section of the state border on August 3 will be tried by Georgian court.
The detained violators claim that they reached the Georgian border easily even though reinforced Russian border guard pickets are located in the area.
Kornely Salia, chief of the Georgian State Border Guard Department, left for the Chechen strap of the border on Monday.
The Georgian State Security Ministry has brought charges of border violation against the seven detainees. If they are found guilty, they can be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.