Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Environment
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Seaborne gunmen attack Equatorial Guinea capital
Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:28am EST
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
MALABO (Reuters) - Gunmen in motor boats attacked the presidential palace in oil-producing Equatorial Guinea's island capital on Tuesday before being repelled by the armed forces, the government said.
The government said the attackers came from nearby Nigeria's Niger Delta, where seaborne raiding parties have grown increasingly bold in the past two years, launching raids against banks and other targets in neighboring countries.
Residents in Malabo, the island hub of the fast-growing offshore oil industry in sub-Saharan Africa's third biggest crude producer, were woken by gunfire and said government forces used a helicopter gunship to repulse the pre-dawn attack.
"Our country was once again the victim of an attack by the rebels of the Delta on the city of Malabo," the government said in a statement.
"A contingent of rebel terrorists from the Delta arrived in numerous boats and tried to invade the capital, with the aim of taking and destroying the presidential palace," it said.
At least one attacker was shot dead and another group drowned when their boat was sunk by the Navy, it added.
The former Spanish colony has suffered decades of instability and in 2004 dozens of foreign mercenaries, mostly South Africans, were caught trying to overthrow the president.
Government aircraft, including at least one helicopter gunship, took to the air over the city during the engagement, said a Western resident who declined to be identified.
"The situation has returned to something like calm. There was obviously some attack or attempted attack made in the vicinity of the presidential compound," he said.
"It involved automatic weapons fire. There was active engagement for at least an hour. There are consistent reports that some sort of launch or fast boats were used. At least one put people ashore before the shooting started," he said.
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo was in Bata, in the part of Equatorial Guinea on mainland Africa, the Spanish state news agency EFE and a source in Malabo said.
"We were woken up to gunfire at about 4 a.m. It lasted for about three hours. It was coming from the presidency. Now it is calm," one resident, who declined to be named, told Reuters.
"We don't know what is happening. We are waiting for information. For now the city is blocked off. We can't get in."
Although the government said the gunmen had tried to seize the presidential palace, Spain's Foreign Ministry said the attack appeared to be criminal in nature, rather than an attempted coup d'etat.
Obiang's government denounced the attack in its statement as nothing more than the "usual maneuvers of our eternal enemies" and called on the population to be patriotic and collaborate with the armed forces to denounce those who might be suspicious.
Previous attacks by armed groups operating in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea around Nigeria's Niger Delta, including a seaborne raid on banks in Bata in December 2007, have triggered waves of harassment of foreigners in Equatorial Guinea. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
My Web
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Kosovo leader marks anniversary with Serbia warning
Also on Reuters
Slideshow
Slideshow: Fall 2009 collections are revealed in NY
Recession takes little sheen off Oscar gold
Video
Video: Party pets' fancy dress parade
More International News
Japan finance minister resigns in blow to PM Aso
| Video
Bottom-up approach needed in Afghanistan: report
Israel engaged in covert war inside Iran: report
"Killing Fields" torturer on trial in Cambodia
| Video
Sudan, Darfur rebels agree to hold peace talks
More International News...
Related News
FACTBOX: A few facts about Equatorial Guinea
9:28am EST
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Trump Entertainment files for bankruptcy
With no budget, California to cut 20,000 state jobs
Michelle Obama -- fashion's non-icon
Justin Timberlake named most stylish man in America
Elderly New Yorkers angry as crisis hits poorest
U.S. Muslim TV network founder charged with beheading wife
Eastern Europe triggers new bank fears
U.S. Muslim TV network founder charged with beheading wife
White House dampens stimulus expectations | Video
Japan finance minister resigns in blow to PM Aso | Video
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Nuclear submarines collide
Japan finmin quits over drunk claim
Migrants die as boat capsizes
Homeless Gazans live in tents
U.S. abuse suspect held in Taiwan
Art imitating atom blast
"Milk of Sorrow" wins Berlin
G7 crisis talks
Piggy-back ride for your Valentine
Australian kids return after fires
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Reuters Deals
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Reuters in Second Life |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.