TBILISI, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Georgia's State Security Service on Saturday refuted allegations that police used a World War I-era chemical agent, known as "camite," on protesters in 2024, saying that laboratory tests detected only standard, legally permitted crowd-control substances, Interpressnews reported.

First Deputy Head of the State Security Service Lasha Maghradze said that an extensive investigation, which included more than 160 procedural actions, 93 witness interviews and chemical testing of seized samples, showed that officers used chlorobenzylidene malononitrile to disperse crowds on the night of Dec. 4-5, 2024.

The substance was mixed with propylene glycol, he said, adding that neither of the substances is prohibited under Georgian or international law.

The statement came in response to an earlier BBC report claiming that Georgia's authorities used a World War I-era chemical weapon to quell anti-government protesters last year. Enditem