Coup foiled in Guinea-Bissau, navy chief held

Guinea-Bissaus army on Monday said it foiled a coup attempt in the impoverished west African country and arrested the navy chief, accusing him of being the mastermind of the attack.Army chief of staff General Antonio Indjai said loyal troops had defeated the assault by renegade soldiers on army headquarters, which came while President Malam Bacai Sanha is undergoing medical treatment in France.A small group of soldiers tried to topple the top brass of the army and the government but failed, General Indjai said. The situation is under the control of the army and the government.Navy chief of staff Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto was considered the mastermind of this uprising, army spokesman Captain Samuel Fernandes said by telephone.The attack on army headquarters and on two military units on the southern outskirts of the capital had been contained, said Fernandes, an advisor to Indjai and a former army chief of staff.He added that Rear Admiral Bubo Na Tchuto was detained and other officers were also apprehended, naming a General Watna Na Lai.A military source confirmed the arrest of Bubo Na Tchuto, and indicated he was being taken to Mansoa, about 60 kilometres (40 miles) north of the capital Bissau, where a military garrison is located.