A group of armed men took over a police station in the Armenian capital Yerevan Sunday, taking an unknown number of people hostage, according to multiple news reports, citing the national security service.
The armed group showed up in trucks ramming through the gates of the police headquarters and took control of the building Sunday morning, RT reported. Authorities are conducting negotiations to try to resolve the situation peacefully, according to RT and Reuters. The armed men demanded the release of Jirair Sefilian, an opposition leader and former military official, who was arrested in June.
Sefilian, a harsh critic of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, spoke out again the government's role in the ongoing conflict between pro-Armenian separatists and the breakaway Azeri region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Reuters reported.
The security service said hostage takers' supporters spread false rumors on the internet about a coup of the government. In the hours that followed, journalists and Armenian residents reported having Facebook blocked, though it's not clear who is behind the restricted access.
The police station takeover comes less than two days after an attempted military coup unfolded in Turkey in efforts to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In the two days since the attack, Erdogan has rounded up around 3,000 military members, including top-ranking officials, as well as judges.
