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Defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka to face coup attempt charge as row over election result takes dramatic turnThe defeated candidate in last month's tense presidential election in Sri Lanka, General Sarath Fonseka, was arrested today at his office in Colombo and is to be charged with attempting a military coup to overthrow the government.The sudden arrest of the 59-year-old former chief of Sri Lankan armed forces and the architect of their bloody but successful campaign against the Tamil Tigers last year, sparked fears of a widespread crackdown on opponents of the incumbent president, Mahindra Rajapakse.A government spokesman confirmed that Fonseka had been arrested, saying he had been detained for "committing military offences".Later government minister Keheliya Rambukwella said Fonseka would be tried in a military court on charges of conspiring against the president and planning a coup while army chief."When he was the army commander and chief of defence staff and member of the security council, he had direct contact with opposition political parties, which under the military law can amount to conspiracy," Rambukwella said."He's been plotting against the president while in the military ... with the idea of overthrowing the government," he added.Fonseka's wife is reported to have confirmed the detention of her husband following an increase in the number of security forces deployed outside the hotel he used as an office during the day.Allies of Fonseka described his arrest during the course of a p­lanning meeting with political allies. Rauff Hakeem, leader of the Muslim Congress party, told Reuters that the general had been "dragged away in a very disgraceful manner in front of our own eyes".Fonseka appears to have resisted arrest. Mano Ganeshan, an opposition member of parliament, said the general was "forcibly carried away" after having objected to being arrested by military police rather than civilian officials."He was humiliated and disgraced in the way he was handled. We were just flabbergasted," Ganeshan said.Fonseka, who has repeatedly alleged that the elections were fraudulently won by Rajapakse, was planning to campaign in parliamentary polls due to be held by April.Speculation about the detention of the general had mounted over the weekend with Sri Lankan newspapers reporting on Sunday that Rajapakse had sought legal advice from government lawyers about trying his political rival in a military court.Hours before his arrest, Fonseka, who himself has been accused of a range of human rights abuses during the fighting against the Tamil Tigers last year, had said he was prepared to give evidence at international tribunals investigating the 25-year-long civil war. "I am definitely going to reveal what I know, what I was told and what I heard. Anyone who has committed war crimes should be brought into the courts," the BBC reported him as saying.Sri LankaJulian Borgerguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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