Fears of coup grow as president arrested

Soldiers arrested Burkina Faso’s transitional president and prime minister Wednesday, raising fears of a coup just weeks before the country was to hold an election to replace its longtime leader, who was ousted in a popular uprising late last year.

Hours later, gunfire erupted in the capital as the soldiers behind the standoff tried to disperse. It was not immediately clear whether any of the demonstrators were wounded.

There was no immediate claim by the military on public airwaves that they now controlled the country.