Ukrainian police working to identify hostage-taker in Lutsk

Jul 21, 2020

Kiev [Ukraine], July 21 (Sputnik/ANI): The Ukrainian police are trying to identify the armed man who has hijacked a bus with 20 people in the northwestern city of Lutsk.
According to the head of the regional police, the attacker has not put forward any demands but is expressing his dissatisfaction with "the system" on Twitter. He made a phone call to the police and introduced himself as Maksin Plokhoy.
Earlier in the day, an armed man seized a bus with around 20 hostages in the center of Lutsk.
"The person who took hostages made a phone call to the police at 9.25 [a.m. local time, 06:25 GMT] and introduced himself as Maksim Plokhoy. We have found online a book "A criminal's philosophy", penned by Maksim Plokhoy and describing the author's staying in places of confinement and his mindset," head of the regional police Herashchenko wrote on Facebook, adding that the malefactor told the police that a mine was planted in the bus.
The Ukrainian interior minister is heading to Lutsk to coordinate the police action, Herashchenko added.
The police do not have any information about injuries. A source in the Lutsk police headquarters told RIA Novosti that a criminal probe had already been initiated.
"Shots were heard, the bus is damaged. Police operation 'Hostage' is underway, and the Ukrainian Security Service has introduced a plan dubbed 'Boomerang'. Everything is done to settle the situation and avoid victims. I keep the situation under personal control," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. (Sputnik/ANI)