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Ethiopian security forces have announced the arrest of 50 suspects for plotting armed violence and terrorist activities in the country’s capital, Addis Ababa, and its surroundings.

The Ethiopian Joint Security and Intelligence Task Force said in a statement that the apprehended suspects were members of a covert armed group.

According to the task force, the group had been “conspiring to perpetuate armed terror activities in Addis Ababa and its surroundings after their mission to create chaos and violence in the country’s Amhara region was foiled by the coordinated efforts of regional and federal security forces.”

The task force said the suspects were recruiting members and organizing logistics in various parts of Addis Ababa. They were apprehended after a secretive operation conducted by the National Intelligence and Security Service over the past five months.

Authorities say the group had various weapons, bombs and explosives, incendiary materials, as well as cash from different countries in its possession when arrested.

The task force further disclosed that the group’s main coordinators are based in different foreign countries and were trying to create their own political, military, information, finance, media, and propaganda wings.