'One hundred' arrests in Guinea

President Conte won a third term in 2003 elections despite poor health

At least 100 people have been arrested after last week's apparent attempt to assassinate President Lansana Conte, a human rights group says.

They are being held in abominable conditions, Thierno Maadjou Sow, the head of the Guinean Organisation of Human Rights, told Reuters news agency.

Some of those arrested have been released but others are still being questioned by the security forces.

Some opposition figures are sceptical about whether it was a coup bid.

They say that previous apparent coup plots led to a crackdown on the opposition.

Mr Sow said he knew of 100 arrests and suspected that the real figure was twice as high.

Last week, the BBC's Alhassan Sillah in Conakry said he understood that those arrested were not well known personalities or politicians but local residents.

A truck containing grenades, uniforms and guns was found near the site of the assassination attempt, police say.

Confused

Unidentified men fired on the presidential convoy taking Mr Conte to work. The president escaped unscathed.

Our reporter says a dispatch rider who was leading the presidential motorcade was seriously wounded in the shootout and is now in intensive care.

After opening fire the gunmen threw away their weapons and disappeared into the crowd, eyewitnesses say.

Most residents are confused that such a daring attempt could be made on the president's life in broad daylight, our correspondent says.

The president - who seized power in a coup in 1984 - has hinted that an unnamed foreign power may be behind the attempt.

The incident happened a year after President Conte was sworn in for a third term, following his victory in controversial elections in December 2003, after the constitution was changed to allow his to stand.

Celebrations to mark the occasion were dampened by the shooting, our correspondent says.

Mr Conte is a diabetic, and correspondents say doubts about the president's health have led to worries about a possible future power struggle.

Guinea, a mineral-rich country bordering Sierra Leone and Liberia, has been viewed as generally stable in an otherwise turbulent region.