President of East Timor Wounded in Rebel Attack

from The New York Times

President José Ramos-Horta of East Timor was shot and seriously wounded Monday, and gunmen attacked a convoy carrying Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, threatening to further destabilize the struggling young nation.

Officials blamed a renegade military officer who they said was killed in an exchange of gunfire, suggesting that the attacks in Dili, the capital, were an attempted coup.

Mr. Gusmão was unhurt and called on the nation to remain calm. “The state came under attack,” he said. “The attempt to kill the prime minister and president today failed, and only the president was injured.”

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