Armenian president urges gunmen to release hostages

The President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan has called on the gunmen holding hostages in a police station to lay down arms and release the police officers they're holding, ABC News reported.

The police station in capital Yerevan was seized Sunday by gunmen seeking the release of an opposition figure who was arrested in June for illegal weapons possession.

Supporters of the gunmen have rallied outside the police station, and clashed with the police late Wednesday.

Sargsyan on Friday met with the country's top law enforcement officials to discuss the crisis and called for the hostages to be released. Sargsyan said that the government's actions "will be in line with Armenia's laws," but did not say whether he would ask police to storm the building.

Source: MENA