Military movements and heavy artillery fire were reported early Sunday around the presidents palace in Nouakchott, in what observers in the capital of the northwestern African nation say was an attempted coup.
President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya and his family are reported to be safe. Taya, who came to power in a 1984 coup and then won two successive presidential elections, has been under increasing pressure since the U.S. war n Iraq began. Earlier this month, the government arrested 32 fundamentalist Islamists, and their trial opened last week in Nouakchott.
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is one of only three Arab countries to have established diplomatic relations with Israel.
According to a witness contacted by phone, the U.S. embassy located close to the presidents palace was not attacked during the heavy gunfire, despite earlier reports that the facility had come under fire.
Government sources said that the attempt to oust the government had failed, but other reports indicated that the situation remained uncertain.
