Madagascan police this week arrested six people, including a foreign national, on suspicion of plotting to kill the president, after months of investigation, officials said.

Andry Rajoelina was sworn in as president of the Indian Ocean island country in 2019 after a hard-fought election and a constitutional court challenge from his rival.

“According to the evidence in our possession, these individuals had devised a plan for the elimination and neutralization of a number of people including the head of state,” the attorney general said in a statement.

It added that investigations were under way and further details could not be disclosed. The arrests were made on Tuesday.

The extent of the plot, or how far advanced, was not immediately clear.

The statement did not specify the nationality of the foreign nationals.

A separate statement by the public security minister on Wednesday said that six people had been arrested: one foreign national, two binationals, and three Madagascan nationals.

“The police had information for several months, but only now was there an opportunity to arrest them,” the statement read. (Reuters)

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