Three people have been arrested after a man attempted to strike Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as he was leaving a sermon at Yerevan's St. Anna Church.

The three could face charges of hooliganism and interfering in the political activities of an official, the Investigative Committee told the media, The Caspian Post reports, citing foreign media.

If charged and found guilty, the suspects could face up to five years in prison.

Pashinyan was at the church as part of his Civil Contract party’s pre-election campaign on Palm Sunday.

As he was leaving the church, Pashinyan’s guards cleared a path for him to reach the front row. Later, as the liturgy was still ongoing, he began leaving through the crowd, again with bodyguards pushing through the crowds.

Unhappy with being pushed aside, a young man was heard saying: ‘I want to stand in the middle’, before turning to Pashinyan and wagging his finger at him, saying, ‘don’t look at me like that’.

The same person then reportedly attempted to strike Pashinyan with his hand.