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Haitian forces foil coup attempt against Aristide
( 2001-12-18 10:40 ) (7 )

Gunmen stormed the National Palace in Haiti before dawn on Monday in an apparent coup attempt against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, raising the specter of the Caribbean nation's bloody past as dissatisfaction with his government grows.

Security forces foiled the bid after a shootout with the attackers, officials said. Seven people, including a gunman and two police officers, were killed in the incident.

Later, thousands of Haitians loyal to the populist Aristide, some armed with guns and machetes, took to the streets, burning tires and crying for vengeance against the attackers.

Aristide, a former Roman Catholic priest who is Haiti's first democratically elected president, and his family were asleep at their private home a few miles (km) away at the time of the attack, palace sources said.

The president went to the palace hours after the assault and in a speech broadcast to the nation asked Haitians to be vigilant in the face of the attempted coup.

"It is time to be patriots; the nation is in danger," Aristide said. "I thank the population and the police for defending democracy."

Haitian National Police spokesman Jean Dady Simeon said an estimated 30 armed gunmen stormed the palace before dawn. The attackers were dressed in military uniforms, Chief of Palace Security Oriel Jean Baptiste said.