Dozens of military personnel and civilians were arrested and a large cache of weapons and explosives found after an alleged coup attempt in the Gambia, an intelligence source said.
The suspects have been interrogated and were being held in “four villas” in or near the tiny west African nation’s capital Banjul, said a source close to the Gambia’s National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
A group of heavily armed men led by an army deserter attacked the presidential palace before dawn on Tuesday, but were repelled by forces loyal to the Gambia’s leader of 20-years, Yahya Jammeh.
The ruler, who was visiting Dubai at the time of the attack, blamed unidentified foreign dissidents and “terrorists” for the assault.
“It is an attack by dissidents based in the US, Germany and UK,” Jammeh said in a televised address Wednesday, denying it was an attempt to unseat him.
“This was not a coup. This was an attack by a terrorist group backed by some powers that I would not name.”
Jammeh insisted that the armed forces “are very loyal” and that only former soldiers, including a senior commander, had taken part in the attack on his palace.
“No force can take this place and nobody can destabilise this country,” he said. “Anybody who plans to attack this country, be ready, because you are going to die.”
Investigators have allegedly seized the plan laying out the attack, in which the three suspects, including the alleged ringleader, were killed, according to a military officer.
Four officers suspected of participating in the attempt had taken refuge in neighbouring Guinea-Bissau, a military source told the media.
Jammeh returned home on Wednesday from Dubai, where he had been on a private visit.
