{{Military investigators in Sierra Leone have detained a senior opposition politician over an alleged attempted mutiny.}}
A short statement read Monday evening on state broadcaster, SLBC, said the mayor of the southern city of Bo, Harold Tucker, was “invited” to help in the investigations.
Mr Tucker is a member of the opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) whose secretary-general, Sulaiman Banja Tejan-Sie, said their colleague was detained for “subversive activities,” according to the Associated Press news agency.
Bo, an opposition stronghold, is the second largest city and second capital of the country.
The mayor was reportedly arrested together with a renowned businessman in the city.
The two become the first civilians to be linked to the incident that has shaken the West African country’s security apparatus.
According to one media report on Monday, two more arrests were made earlier bringing to eleven the total number of military men now in custody.
The daily Independent Observer newspaper added that an army captain was the highest ranking of the military suspects.
Last week, government spokesman and Information Minister Alhaji Alpha Kanu said only one senior ranking official was in detention.
President Ernest Bai Koroma Friday broke his silence on the matter promising a no-compromise stance in dealing with whoever was found guilty.
He told a group of tribal leaders that there was no need for alarm as the government was in control.
But, he added, there would be no compromise and anyone found guilty would be dealt with according to law, SLBC reported.
The President also made a surprise visit Saturday to the military barracks in the northern city of Makeni where the mutiny was supposedly hatched earlier this month.
NMG
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