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May 10 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan troops rescued former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa from his official residence in Colombo on Tuesday morning, hours after he resigned. He called the military to the "Temple Trees" compound for help after protesters allegedly attempted to storm the residence two, a senior security source told CNN. The source said the attackers entered the outer perimeter of the building, tossing petrol bombs.
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The Guardian reported that the troops fired warning shots into the air to disperse thousands of protesters who gathered at the residence.
CNN said troops fired tear gas, one of which exploded, killing a police officer.
Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family were taken to an undisclosed location.
The Sri Lankan Ministry of Defense said troops were ordered to shoot anyone found to be damaging property or assaulting officials.
Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned from office Monday in response to persistent protests since March over the country's economy. The protests turned violent at times, prompting a country-wide curfew.
Demonstrators defied the curfew Tuesday, also gathering outside the offices of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the prime minister's brother.
Sri Lanka, which won its independence from Britain in 1948, has seen its food prices skyrocket while supplies of basic necessities such as electricity, fuel and medicine dwindled. The island country's finance minister said its foreign exchange reserves also dipped to under $50 million.
