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Ethiopia Bodyguard Who Shot And Killed Country's Army Chief In Attempted Coup Plot Identified

- Coup plotters wanted to kill more officials

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The Ethiopian authorities have revealed the identity of the man accused of killing Ethiopia's Army Chief, Gen. Seare Mekonnen, and another general.

The two men were killed on Saturday in the capital, Addis Ababa, in what the authorities have said was part of an alleged attempt to overthrow the regional government in the Amhara state.

On Sunday the government said an unnamed bodyguard was responsible and he had been arrested.

On Monday police chief, Endeshaw Tasew, announced that the bodyguard had killed himself after killing the generals. But later that day the federal police apologized and said the bodyguard was recovering from gunshot wounds in hospital.

The bodyguard has been named on state-run television ETV as Corporal Mesafint Tigabu. The channel also displayed his picture.

Corporal Mesafint is still in the intensive care unit under heavy security, ETV said.

Ethiopia coup plotters wanted to kill more officials

The people behind an alleged attempt to overthrow the government of Ethiopia's northern Amhara state wanted to kill more officials, a government commission has said.

Following Saturday's violence, five senior figures, including the head of the army Gen Seare Mekonnen, died as a result of what the government has called a coup attempt.

Three died in Amhara state and two were killed in the capital, Addis Ababa.

The Security and Justice Joint Task Force was formed to investigate what happened.

The task force says that 255 people have been arrested since Saturday, 212 in Amhara state and 43 in the capital.

On Thursday, an opposition party said more than 50 of its members had been detained.

The security forces have seized 27 AK 47 rifles, two machine guns and an unspecified number of pistols.

The task force is looking into the possible link between the killings in Amhara and those in Addis Ababa. The government has said they were connected.