Top Cop: Bulgarian Armed Robber Drug Addict

Policemen have surrounded the armed robber who barricaded himself inside a Investbank branch in Sliven with 7 hostages. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov has revealed that the police are holding negotiations with the armed robber who keeps 7 hostages in Sliven.

Earlier on Wednesday, the man tried to rob a branch of Investbank keeping the salaries of the district administration but failed as an employee pressed a panic button.

The major demand of the armed robber is that the police and SWAT teams withdraw from the spot.

Interior Minister Tsvetanov said the main concern of the police is to protect the life of the seven hostages.

According to Tsvetanov, the robber is a drug addict, and is a native of the city of Sliven. Within four hours Wednesday night, the police talked to the robber twice via an intermediary.