Kyrgyz special forces have stormed the compound of former President Almazbek Atambaev, who has been refusing to obey a subpoena in an unspecified criminal investigation.

In an August 7 Facebook live broadcast on the page of journalist Mirbek Aitikeev, special forces, many of whom wore masks, could be seen entering one building on the compound in the village of Koi-Tash outside Bishkek, while several supporters of the former president stood by in the courtyard.

Atambaev was in the courtyard shaking hands with supporters when the assault on the compound began. A video showed him being whisked away by his security people.

Gunshots could be heard during the action, and one male could be seen with a gunshot wound to the leg. The news website 24.kg reported that one of its journalists, Aida Jumasheva, was wounded by a rubber bullet.

Another person, who identified himself as Nurbek Kasymbekov, Atambaev’s public defender, said that he was beaten by the police forces. He had a severely swollen eye and bloodstains on his shirt.

An RFE/RL correspondent at the scene said an ambulance had arrived to treat the injured. The correspondent added that all roads leading to the compound have been blocked by security officials.

Officials from the Interior Ministry were not immediately available for comment. The storming of the compound comes after Deputy Interior Minister Mirlan Kanimetov and several other officials visited Atambaev on July 22 after he had refused to obey a subpoena for the third time.

Under Kyrgyz law, a person who refuses to comply with two subpoenas can be forcibly detained for questioning. But authorities in Bishkek previously had not attempted to detain Atambaev.

He faces five counts of criminally abusing his office when he was Kyrgyzstan’s president from 2011 to 2017 — including corruption, abuse of office, and illegally enriching himself.

Atambaev has rejected all charges against him, saying they are politically motivated. Atambaev’s lawyer Sergei Slesarev has said that amendments made in May to Kyrgyzstan’s law on the immunity of former presidents are unconstitutional.

Kyrgyz lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to remove Atambaev’s immunity in a move that cleared the way for his prosecution. The embattled former president has spent most of his time since the June 27 parliamentary vote at his residential compound and has publicly stated that he has weapons.