An ex-con heavily armed with guns and various explosives took control of a bus in Ukraine where he held 20 people hostage during a lengthy standoff with police.
On Tuesday, 44-year-old Maksym Kryvosh made threats to blow up the bus using a bomb, Reuters reported.
Police Descend on Chaotic Scene
Police descended on the scene after the man himself called them. According to the National Police of Ukraine, he then proceeded to throw a grenade at officers which did not detonate.
“The attacker threw a grenade from the bus, which, fortunately, did not detonate,” a statement said.
“Shots were heard, the bus was damaged,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Facebook. “Every effort is being made to resolve the situation without casualties. I keep the course of events under personal control.”
Social Media Paints Ex-Con’s Terrorist Scene
Photos uploaded to social media gave a look into the scene, which showed a small bus in the middle of an empty street with its windows smashed. TV video footage revealed empty streets surrounded by military members and police cars.
Police detained a man with a firearm and explosives in the Ukrainian city of Lutsk and freed all hostages. The 44-year old suspect, Maksym Kryvosh, originally held 20 hostages on the bus and demanded the President Vladimir Zelensky to advertise the 2005 documentary "Earthlings". pic.twitter.com/BXCgKBaNxa
— CGTN America (@cgtnamerica) July 21, 2020
The man posted on Twitter and called himself Maksym Plokhoy, which translates as “Maksym the Bad One.” The gunman’s Twitter account has been taken down.
As for the reasoning and demands behind the terrorist attack, it is still rather unknown.
Police Unsure of Gunman’s Motives
According to NBC News, Viktor Kroshko, head of the Volyn Oblast Police Department, called the gunman’s demands “rather vague” and said, “He is generally unsatisfied with the political situation in the country.”
The man’s history includes two convictions for crimes: robbery, illegal arms handling and fraud, which led him to spend almost ten years in prison. It is reported that he has undergone psychiatric treatment.
Despite the intense ordeal, none of the hostages were hurt and all made it out alive.