Ethiopian police said Sunday evening they have put under control the leadership and executors of a clandestine group that was preparing to unleash an armed urban terror assault.

The clandestine group, which had finalized preparations to launch attacks in a bid to instigate urban violence, has been put under arrest, said a police statement from the federal police anti- terrorism task force.

The statement said the group was meditating to launch simultaneous attacks in either of the two days including Sunday, targeting various government officials, people's delegates, public figures as well as private and public institutions.

According to the statement, the intended attacks were part and parcel of the attempt to "hamper the ongoing democratization and development process as well as to dismantle the constitutional order."

However, the statement said the plots were thwarted "owing to the cooperation of the public and the relentless efforts the task force exerted over the past months."

According to the statement, the clandestine group is linked to the largest opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), which, it said, "opted to pursue the path of violence after the May 15 parliamentary elections."

The group has been undertaking "various preparations over the past few months to launch an armed urban terror by reorganizing the structure of the CUD," the statement said.

The statement said the professional and legal measures taken by the task force have enabled it to foil the intended terrorist act before it caused human casualty and property damage.

Apart from arresting individuals who have part in the plot, the task force has also apprehended TNT explosives, bombs and various small arms, the statement said, adding that it also found various documents, computers and other materials related to the plot.

The 2005 parliamentary election results indicate that the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Party, which has ruled the country for the past 14 years, has won 327 seats of the 547-seat parliament, enough to form the federal government.

CUD was in second with 109 seats. The largest opposition party accuses the ruling party of massive electoral fraud and has been boycotting parliament, saying it wants a solution to the contested results of the elections.

Source: Xinhua