Armenian Police: Law enforcement forces are on full combat alert

 The law enforcement forces are put on full combat alert, however, no order has been issued to launch a special operation to free the hostages from the Erebuni Police Department building in Yerevan, Deputy Chief of Armenian Police Hunan Poghosyan told reporters.   

He said that the police keep negotiating with the hostage takers. The key goal of the talks is to prevent violence and to transfer the criminals to the law-enforcement structures. He refuted the information that Zhirayr Sefilyan is taking part in the talks aimed at freeing 6 hostages. Poghosyan noted that the wounded policemen have been taken to the civil hospitals and the Muratsan military hospital. Two of them are in a grave condition. An operator of the Armenian Police is among the wounded. Poghosyan also refuted the rumors about the attempts to seize the airports. As regards the persons taken to the police stations, Poghosyan said that they will be set free after undergoing the relevant procedures.

To note, Artsakh war hero Zhirayr Sefilyan's armed supporters, who seized the building of the Patrol-Guard Service Regiment in Erebuni district of Yerevan on Sunday morning, demand that Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan should resign and a government of national confidence should be formed. The Armenian National Security Service reported that one policeman has been killed and two hostages have been freed. The victim was Deputy Head of the Patrol-Guard Service Regiment, Colonel Artur Vanoyan.

The gunmen are holding Deputy Chief of Yerevan Police Valery Osipyan as a hostage. The armed group is headed by Zhirayr Sefilyan's supporters, Artsakh war veterans Varuzhan Avetisyan and Pavlik Manukyan. Some media outlets report that the group members are not going to negotiate with the authorities until Sefilyan is released from arrest and until he assumes the mission of negotiating with the authorities. Meanwhile, the territory is cordoned off by the Police troops and trucks, which obstruct the view.