Georgia says S.Ossetia 'kidnaps' were arrests by police

TBILISI, July 21 (RIA Novosti) - Georgia's Interior Ministry said on Monday that four people have been arrested in the breakaway province of South Ossetia, following claims by local authorities that the men were abducted by Georgia. "We can confirm that these people were detained. They were detained on suspicion of committing various crimes, including drug-related offenses," ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said. Earlier in the day, authorities in the rebel region issued a statement saying: "On July 20, at around 11:00 p.m. [20:00 GMT], Georgia took four citizens of the republic of South Ossetia hostage." South Ossetia's interior ministry told RIA Novosti that according to preliminary information the four South Ossetian residents had been seized by Georgian security forces in the village of Eredvi, located on the territory... [read full story]