Mali says coup thwarted, arrests made

BAMAKO, Mali — Malian authorities have arrested suspects after an announcement by the ruling junta that it had foiled a coup attempt supported by an unnamed Western government.

Security forces thwarted the countercoup against twotime coup leader Col. Assimi Goita, according to a government statement.

The army on Tuesday said that authorities arrested suspects who are being questioned.

“For the moment, investigations and interrogations of those arrested are underway and it is after this work that details can be communicated to the public,” Mali army spokesman Col. Souleymane Dembele said.

Early Tuesday, a list of several Malian military personnel suspected in the attempt was circulated throughout the intelligence community, according to a Malian security official.

“These soldiers were supported by a Western state,” said the initial announcement of the foiled coup. The junta’s statement, read by government spokesman Col. Abdoulaye Maiga on television Monday night, gave few details but said security forces had put down the coup last week.