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Court Dismisses Earlier Case Against Karen Drambjan

Due to the death of Karen Drambjan, an Estonian citizen of Armenian descent who attacked the Estonian defense ministry last week, the court has dismissed the criminal case instituted against him this spring in which he was accused of being drunk in a public place and in possession of a weapon.

Drambjan (alternative spelling: Drambyan) attracted the attention of police on May 11 this year when he was walking down Liivalaia St. drunk and with a gun in his hand. Police had given him a fine, which he was disputing in court. For this reason, police were unable to suspend or revoke his license to carry a weapon in the spring, reports Estonian news site Postimees.

As previously reported, Drambjan, armed with explosives, entered Estonia’s Defense Ministry on Aug. 11 and opened fire. Despite initial reports that he committed suicide, Drambjan in fact was killed in an exchange of fire with police. The 57-year-old lawyer born in Armenia who had Estonian citizenship since the early 1990s was a member of the small, left-wing Estonian United Left Party that is not represented in parliament. No one other than Drambjan was killed in the incident.