Overview
- The State Security Service identified the substance as chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS) delivered via water cannon using propylene glycol, with trichloroethylene procured as a solvent.
- The agency said the materials are not prohibited, traced purchases to 2007 and 2009 from an Israeli supplier, and branded the BBC investigation deliberate disinformation.
- Investigators opened a case to scrutinize the basis of the BBC interviews under statutes on exceeding official powers and aiding a foreign organization.
- Former Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri and ex–special assignments chief Zviad Kharazishvili were questioned, and the SGB said interviewees denied alleging use of ‘camit.’
- Health ministry figures cited by the SGB reported 54 hospitalizations during late‑2024 protests, including five mild poisonings, while the ruling party and the prime minister plan international legal action against the BBC and call the matter closed.