One person has been killed and several others injured, as a suspected coup is currently underway in Yerevan, capital of Armenia.
Social media has been reportedly shut down as a police chief, Yalery Osipyan, is also thought to have been held captive as gunmen lay siege to police offices.
“This morning a group of armed individuals entered the police patrol service regiment area and is keeping the personnel hostage under the threat of violence,” Armenia’s National Security Service said in a statement on Sunday, July 17, 2016.
Officials have launched talks with the gunmen in a desperate bid to get them to “surrender peacefully”.
It is thought they are demanding the release of Armenian opposition figure, Jirair Sefilyan.
Sefilyan, an Armenian military commander and political activist, was held by the police last month amid claims he was planning a coup against the government.
The gunmen are also reportedly calling for Armenian president, Serzh Sargsyan, quit. But government officials has dismissed “rumours” sweeping the internet about an uprising as “absolutely untrue”.
This is coming days after another attempted coup in Turkey failed, as civilians mounted a strong opposition to a military takeover.
