Man Threatens to Detonate Grenade, Takes Officer Hostage in Ukraine's Poltava - Police

KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd July, 2020) The man threatening to detonate a grenade in Ukraine's central city of Poltava has taken hostage the head of the local police's criminal investigations directorate, and they are now heading toward the exit from the city in a car, the criminal investigations directorate said on Thursday.

The Poltava region police reported earlier in the day that the man, whom police officers tried to detain for stealing a car, was threatening to detonate a grenade.

"When the police were detaining the 'hijacker' near the administrative court building, he received an RGD-5 grenade and tried to detonate it.

The situation was complicated by the fact that the attacker took a criminal investigations officer hostage," the criminal office wrote on Telegram.

"After negotiations, the malefactor changed the detained criminal bureau staffer for the head of the criminal investigations department ... and headed toward the exit from the city with him in a vehicle provided in compliance with his demands," the statement read on.