Police in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, have stormed a bank where an armed man took seven people hostage earlier on Sunday. The Interior Ministry reported that all captives have been rescued, with the assailant detained.
According to the ministry’s Telegram channel, “a successful police operation has been conducted in Kaspi bank. All hostages have been freed.”
The statement added that none of the hostages were injured, and the assailant was also unharmed.
Kazakh Interior Minister Marat Marat Akhmetzhanov spearheaded negotiations with the attacker that preceded the rescue operation, and then coordinated the storming operation, the message noted.
Speaking to reporters, Akhmetzhanov revealed that the SWAT team had used a stun grenade.
Several local media outlets have said the 30-year-old assailant was armed with a pistol.
According to unconfirmed reports, he demanded that all of the bank’s assets be transferred to a charity helping disabled children and others in need. The man allegedly threatened to kill the hostages unless the authorities complied within three hours.