Ex- prime minister arrested in Niger coup plot

Reports from the west Africanstate of Niger say the former civilian prime minister, Hama Amadou, is among several people arrested in connection with a plot to assassinate the President, Ibrahim Bare Mainassara.

The police accuse Hama Amadou of being the mastermind behind the plot.

Yesterday, national television broadcast what it described as a confession by four of the alleged assassins.

President Mainassara seized power two years ago in a military coup -- ending Niger's brief period of civilian rule.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service