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Burkina Faso: 10 soldiers arrested over armory raid | Burkina Faso: 10 soldiers arrested over armory raid |
(35 minutes later) | |
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — Ten soldiers from a disbanded elite unit loyal to Burkina Faso’s former president have been arrested in connection with a raid on an armory outside the capital, an army spokesman said Saturday. | |
The pre-dawn raid at the weapons warehouse on Friday morning exacerbated security concerns in the West African country just one week after Islamic extremists attacked a cafe and hotel popular with foreigners in Ouagadougou, killing at least 30 people. | |
The arrested soldiers come from Burkina Faso’s former presidential guard, which was also behind a brief, failed coup last September. The unit was disbanded after the coup, and many of its 1,300 members were integrated into other army units. | |
Some members remain on the run, however, and last month officials accused them of plotting to attack a military prison and free their former leader, Gen. Gilbert Diendere, who was arrested after the coup. | |
Willy Yameogo, director of communications for the army, said at a press conference Saturday night that one civilian was also arrested in connection with Friday’s armory raid. He described this person as a “religious” figure but did not provide details. He said more arrests were expected as the investigation continued. | |
Officials have not specified how many weapons were seized during the raid, though Yameogo said some Kalashnikov rifles and anti-tank rocket launchers remained unaccounted for. Col. Gaoussou Coulibaly, head of the army operations unit, said ammunition had not been taken. | |
Military officials are asking the public for help in catching anyone else who might have been involved. | |
The armory raid, Coulibaly said, was “an act of revenge by some of the former guards who are not happy with their new situation.” | |
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
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