A senior Armenian politician survived an assassination attempt as he travelled home from a meeting to consider his party's candidate for the vacant post of prime minister, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Vardan Gukassyan, the mayor of Armenia's second largest city, Gyumri, was severely injured in the gun attack while three people travelling with him were killed, the prosecutor general's office said in a statement.
Gukassyan had just attended a special session of the ruling Armenian Republican Party's governing council, which agreed to put forward the acting Defence Minister, Serzh Sarksyan, as the country's new prime minister. His nomination follows the sudden death from a heart attack last month of Andranik Margaryan.
The mayor, his deputy and their driver were all hospitalised following the late night attack while three bodyguards in an accompanying vehicle died as they travelled home by road from the capital, Yerevan.