1 Dead, 2 Injured As Attackers Storm Police HQs In Armenia, Take Hostages
MEP: A group of armed men have reportedly seized a police headquarters in the Armenian capital, Yerevan along with an unknown number of hostages on Sunday morning, the country’s security service said.
Armenian news agencies reported that the group released a video demanding opposition leader Jirair Sefilian and a number of others be freed who were arrested in June.
Sefilian has strongly criticized Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan and is unhappy about the way the government has been handling a long-running conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
It called on Armenians to take to the streets in support.
Reports also indicate that the country’s officials have confirmed one policeman was killed and two others wounded in the attack.
The country’s police chief Valery Osipyan is believed to have been taken hostage, AFP news agency reported.
The internet in the country is also currently down.
Officials accepted that 1 policeman is dead and 2 injured during armed attack in Yerevan, Armenia https://t.co/i4w48VsjDa
— ☆MoD OSINT☆🇺🇦 (@MoD_OSINT) July 17, 2016
Negotiations were under way to resolve the situation peacefully, the National Security Service said, accusing the hostage takers’ supporters of spreading false rumours on the internet that an armed uprising against the government was underway.
The CivilNet newspaper said seven policemen were being held hostage but this has not been independently confirmed. The group was quoted as saying it would retaliate if attacked and had no intention of surrendering.
