Kyrgyz ex-president Almazbek Atambayev confessed on Thursday that he shot during an attempt to detain him, RIA Novosti reported.

“I shot when the guys went to the third floor, and I tried not to hit the guys,” he told reporters.

As reported earlier, special forces moved in to arrest former president Almazbek Atambayev on corruption charges at his residence south of the Kyrgyz capital.

Hundreds of his supporters are trying to defend Atambayev’s residential compound in the village of Koi Tash, about 12 miles away from Bishkek.