One of three individuals detained in Tbilisi on charges of espionage was 27-year-old Tamaz Goloev (Goloti), a native of Akhalgori, a town in the territory of South Ossetia not controlled by Georgian authorities. This was reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Georgian service.

According to the publication, Goloev, who is Ossetian on his father's side and Georgian on his mother's, previously studied in the region and regularly visited Tbilisi. His mother said he arrived in the capital on the morning of April 22, 2026, and was detained immediately upon his arrival. She learned of the incident from the news and then went to the city herself, but was unable to meet with her son.

"I don't know anything, they didn't even let me in, I can't say anything, they're not telling me anything... I think they're accusing him wrongly," the woman shared.

According to her, she had not noticed anything suspicious about her son. The detainee's mother also said she was not acquainted with the two other defendants in the case, who are wanted by the State Security Service of Georgia on similar charges.

The State Security Service reported that the arrest was carried out by the Counterintelligence Department. The Georgian citizen is accused of collecting and transmitting information on behalf of a foreign intelligence service. According to investigators, he was recruited, operated under a pseudonym, and received monetary compensation for his activities.
Investigators allege that the suspect was tasked with collecting data on the deployment, strength, and resources of Georgian law enforcement agencies, including the State Security Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Defense, as well as capturing their facilities in photographs and videos. Furthermore, the suspect was charged with collecting information on strategic infrastructure—bridges, highways, railways, and other facilities.