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Guinean military says 37 arrested after attack on presidential residence

Other News Materials 21 July 2011 06:03 (UTC +04:00)
At least 37 people have been arrested after the pre-dawn attack on the presidential residence
Guinean military says 37 arrested after attack on presidential residence

At least 37 people have been arrested after the pre-dawn attack on the presidential residence, the military said on Wednesday, Xinhua reported.

The figure was disclosed for the first time after Guinean Prime Minister Mouhamed Said Fofanah declared without elaborating that "many assailants have been apprehended, have given information."

The military also said all the arrestees were soldiers indicating Tuesday's attack could be a coup attempt, which has overshadowed the mineral-rich West African country since its independence from France in 1958.

Guinea's former army chief Nouhou Thiam was the first known arrestee following the attack, which was launched at 3:00 a.m (local time) on the presidential residence in the area of Kippe in the capital Conakry.

President Alpha Conde survived the assault, but one of his bodyguards was killed and three others injured. The raid was repelled by the presidential guard an hour later.Conde, 73, was elected on Nov. 7 and sworn in as president on Dec. 22 to end a long-standing crisis triggered by a military coup, following the death of longtime president Lansana Conte in December 2008.

Under Guinea's Constitution, the legislative election must be held six months after the presidential vote. Conde is under mounting pressure as the polls have been delayed.In March, the Africa Union (AU) sent a delegation to Guinea to urge the country to hold the legislative election as early as possible.

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