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Ex-Congo Republic Opposition Leader Arrested after Months in Hiding


A former opposition leader in Republic of Congo was arrested Tuesday for arms possession after months in hiding, police said.

Okombi Salissa, who lost last year's election to President Denis Sassou Nguesso, but accused the longtime leader of rigging the poll, had an arrest warrant out against him since December for holding weapons.

"This arrest was made without violence. It is part of an investigation against [Salissa], concerning an attack on state security," the police said in a statement.

The country's chief prosecutor Andre Oko-Gakala in November presented to the public the weapons supposedly found at the home of Salissa's wife.

The size of the arms cache or its intended purpose were not immediately clear.

Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko, another opposition candidate, was arrested and charged last June with illegally holding ammunition and arms.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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