Plot to kill Madagascar president thwarted

Several foreign nationals and citizens of Madagascar have been arrested on suspicion of plotting to kill the president, the country's attorney-general says.

Andry Rajoelina was sworn in as president of the Indian Ocean island country in 2019 after a hard-fought election and a constitutional court challenge from his rival.

"According to the evidence in our possession, these individuals had devised a plan for the elimination and neutralisation of a number of people including the head of state," the attorney-general said in a statement.

It added that investigations were under way and further details could not be disclosed.

The extent of the plot, or how far advanced, was not immediately clear.

The statement did not specify the nationality of the foreign nationals.