The Armenian security service said that armed men had stormed a police headquarters in Yerevan Sunday and were holding hostages, Reuters reported. The group called for the release of Jirair Sefilian who was arrested in June. Sefilian is an opposition activist and critic of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.
The security service also accused "the hostage takers` supporters of spreading false rumours on the internet that an armed uprising against the government was underway," according to the outlet.
A spokesman for the group demanded the release of all "political prisoners," and called on Armenians to take to the streets to force the government to step down.
Early Sunday, journalists and others in Armenia used Twitter to suggest Facebook had been blocked for a period as the incident unfolded.
Photos and live video from the scene showed huddles of police near the station.
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