In pictures: E Timor leader shot

East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta has been airlifted to Australia after being shot and seriously injured in an attack on his home by rebel soldiers.

Mr Ramos-Horta received emergency treatment in East Timor's capital, Dili, for bullet wounds to the chest and abdomen before being heavily sedated for the flight to Darwin.

Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao (right) was also fired at but not injured. He said it was a "coup attempt" led by notorious rebel leader Alfredo Reinado, who died in the violence.

The capital Dili was said to be calm but security patrols have been stepped up as authorities fear fighting could break out between rival groups.

Australia, which has led a UN peacekeeping force in East Timor since 2006, said the attack on a democratically-elected leader was a "deeply disturbing development".

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has agreed to a "substantial and immediate" reinforcement of troops in the country and New Zealand troops are also on standby.

By nightfall, Portuguese troops were still on patrol in Dili, where the government has ordered a curfew until dawn.

Rebel leader Alfredo Reinado, killed during the attack on Mr Ramos-Horta, was among 600 mutinous soldiers dismissed by the government in 2006.

Mr Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, is a veteran of East Timorese politics who spent two decades in exile before leading the country to independence from Indonesia in 2002.

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