Burkina Faso govt says it has thwarted coup plot

Burkina Faso said Friday it thwarted a "vast conspiracy" earlier this month by forces loyal to ousted leader Blaise Compaore, which aimed to seize power in the impoverished Sahel state. The plot called for attacking the presidential palace and detaining "certain authorities", said Interior Minister Simon Compaore, who is no relation to the ex-leader. Some 30 troops from the ex-president's security unit also planned to free comrades who were part of a failed September 2015 coup against the transitional government that took power after his fall, the minister said.