Armed Robber Takes Hostages in Bulgaria's Sliven - Update

Sliven police have besieged one or more armed robbers who have taken hostages in a local bank branch. Photo by Bulphoto

An armed robbery in the eastern Bulgarian city of Sliven has turned into a hostage crisis in the later afternoon on Wednesday.

According to initial reports, Three masked men have tried to rob a local branch of Investbank. Subsequent reporting from the spot said that there is just one robber.

The bTV channel reported that the robber is of Turkish origin and lives in the city of Varna. He is said to have talked to the police outside the building on the phone but without announcing any conditions.

Upon entering the robber shot and wounded one of the bank guards, and he has been taken to hospital.

The bank is surrounded by police, and there has been an exchange of gun fire with the robbers; at least 5 or 6 bank employees are believed to have been taken hostage. One of the hostages is a pregnant woman.

The police arrived on the spot almost immediately when a bank employee pressed a panic button seeing the attempted robberty.

Some time later a heavily armed SWAT team was noticed on the spot; it is still unclear if the police forces will storm the bank. Kalin Georgiev, Chief Secretary of Bulgaria's Interior Ministry, has left Sofia for Sliven with a helicopter. At least 17 shots were fired from both sides by 6 pm.

The branch of Investbank is located opposite the building of the District Administration of Sliven, and it is where the District Administration holds its money. According to District Governor Marin Kavrakov, the state money held in the branch is about BGN 1 M.

Relatives of the hostages have also arrived on the spot and are right behind the cordon of policemen besieging the bank, the BGNES agency reported.

Investbank is owned by Festa Holding Jsc (72%) and Bulgarian businesswoman Petya Slavova in her personal capacity (21%), who is herself the owner of Festa Holding. Investbank's capital is about BGN 90 M. Petya Slavova is often mentioned as the richest woman in Bulgaria.

A VIDEO of the hostage crisis in Sliven VIEW HERE