51 hurt in clashes in Armenia as hostage situation unfolds near police station

By Staff The Associated Press

Posted July 21, 2016 4:58 am EST

1 min read

This article is more than 7 years old and some information may not be up to date.

Armenian opposition supporters shout and gesture as they clash with riot police blocking the streets to Erebuni police station, where gunmen are holding hostages, in Yerevan late on July 20, 2016. KAREN MINASYAN/AFP/Getty Images

YEREVAN, Armenia – More than 50 people have been injured in clashes near a police station in Armenia’s capital where armed men have been holding hostages for four days and protesters erected barricades on a nearby avenue.

Story continues below advertisement

Police moved in late Wednesday night to clear out the protest camp. The health ministry said Thursday morning that 51 people have been hospitalized, 28 of whom were police.

The daily email you need for 's top news stories.

The country’s interior ministry said some 30 protesters have been detained.

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

Investigators claimed he and his supporters were planning to seize government buildings.