KHARTOUM, Sudan, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Arrests of Islamic military members who allegedly plotted a coup were made to get rid of dissidents, says a member of Sudan's ruling party.
It was a "badly acted charade," said al-Mu'iz Abdallah, a member of the National Congress Party.
He said the arrests by Sudanese authorities were intended to get rid of popular Islamic members of the military and to warn off groups of Islamic civilians considering dissent, the Sudan Tribune reported Monday.
About 13 individuals were arrested Thursday for planning a "subversive attempt," an official said.
Among those detained were two top intelligence officials, Salah Gosh, the former head of National Intelligence and Security Services, and Brig. Gen. Mohamed Ibrahim Abdel-Galil.
Abdallah said the allegations were false because President Omar al-Bashir has said in the past that Abdel-Galil had thwarted previous coup attempts by Gosh.
