"This was a direct attempt at a coup ... Everyone involved will be punished," Kaladze told reporters.
He also suggested that the protesters in Tbilisi are members of a foreign-controlled network of agents, the secretary general of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
"These are people who do not belong to themselves, their families, or their country. They are agents, members of a network. They are part of this network, which is controlled from the outside … All rioters, regardless of who they are, will be severely punished. I want to convey this to the people of our country," Kaladze told reporters.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that he held the European Union ambassador to the country responsible for the unrest in Tbilisi, given that Brussels supports the protesters.
"You know that some people from abroad have expressed direct support for the attempt to overthrow the constitutional order, including the EU representative ... Given this fact, the EU ambassador to Georgia bears a special responsibility. Show good will, come out, share [the responsibility] and strongly condemn everything that is happening on the streets of Tbilisi. This is his direct responsibility, given that we have seen and heard statements supporting the coup attempt. Let us see how they will react," Kobakhidze told reporters.
Opposition supporters with Georgian national flags gather in the city center of Tbilisi, Georgia, on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, boycotting the municipal elections and call for the release of political opponents.
© AP Photo / Zurab Tsertsvadze
Earlier in the day, protesters had stormed the courtyard of the residence of Georgian President Mikhail Kavelashvili, and threw stones trying to break through iron barriers, while law enforcement officers used pepper spray and a water cannon against them.
The Georgian Interior Ministry said that it had launched investigations into the recent events in Tbilisi, including calls for a coup d'etat.
"Investigations have been launched under Articles 317, 187, 222 and 225 of the Criminal Code, which include assault on a police officer, calls for violent change of the constitutional order of Georgia or the overthrow of government, damage to or destruction of a facility, organizing, directing or participating in group violence, as well as attempt to capture or block a facility of strategic or special importance," the ministry said in a statement.
Fourteen law enforcement officers have been injured as a result of unrest in Tbilisi, Georgian Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Darakhvelidze said.
"Fourteen police officers were injured during the protest, one of whom is in serious condition," Darakhvelidze told reporters.
The Georgian Dream party on October 4 announced that it had won in all 64 municipalities after the Central Election Commission published the first results of the local elections in the country.
According to the CEC, with 55% of ballots counted, the ruling party has won more than 80% of the local government elections, and Tbilisi mayoral candidate Kakha Kaladze has won more than 71% of the vote after more than 73% of ballots counted.