Armenia’s Security Service Rejects Coup Allegations as ‘Baseless’

EghtesadOnline: Armenia's National Security Service, in a statement published while a hostage taking incident being under way in the capital city of Yerevan, downplayed the alleged coup in the country and rejected such claims as ‘baseless’.

News ID: ۷۶۸۲۱۰

17 July 2016

"This morning a group of armed individuals entered the police patrol regiment area and has kept the personnel hostage on the gun point,” said the statement, which is also relayed by the Armenian national news agency, Armen Press, and is widely circulated on social media.

"At the same time, their supporters are spreading misinformation on mass media and social networks about an armed rebellion and about buildings being taken over. The National Security Service officially declares that the information being disseminated is not correct."

The statement added that state bodies are operating normally and that negotiations with the gunmen to "surrender peacefully" are underway.

“This information being spread isn’t consistent with reality. And law enforcement authorities are conducting activities to ensure public order and state security,” the statement further added.

Meanwhile, the National Security Service, in a separate statement, called on the mass media to use the information from official sources, as “acting of the contrary would assist such illegal actions and would pose a threat to people’s life and the country’s national security.”

Media reports also suggest the group of armed men seized the building of police and internal troops in Yerevan, demanding the release of arrested of the coordinator of the opposition Armenian civil initiative ‘Founding Parliament’ Zhirayr Sefilyan.

Sefilyan was arrested June 20 for possession of weapons.

All social media networks are down and internet is too slow. Police say they have blocked the social media because the rebels had tried to convince the public that it is not a confined move, but a coup.

Two hostages have been released by the Armenian special forces so far.