PRETORIA, December 16. /TASS/. About 30 people have been detained in Benin on suspicion of involvement in a failed coup attempt, AFP reported citing judicial sources.

Most of those arrested are military personnel, AFP says. Earlier it was reported that 14 people had been detained in a coup attempt.

Security forces continue to search for those involved in the coup attempt, including leader of the rebellion Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri. The Jeune Afrique magazine previously reported that Tigri had fled to neighboring Togo.

A group of military announced on national television on December 7 that they had seized power and removed president from office. However, units of the National Guard loyal to the president suppressed the coup attempt. They were assisted by the Nigerian Air Force and French special forces, who arrived from a base in C·te d'Ivoire.