Military spokesman Major General Prasad Samarasinghe and Director General of Media Center of National Security Lakshman Hulugalle last night said that the former army commander had been arrested by the military police and he would be produced before a military court of inquiry.

He was taken into custody from his office at Rajakeeya Mawatha in Colombo around 9 p.m.

His arrest was made following inquiries launched by the Criminal Investigation Division and the Terrorist Investigation Division into the alleged conspiracy.

Hulugalle said that apart from the charges of plotting a military coup and conspiring to assassinate the president, Fonseka had also been charged with causing rifts in the army during his tenure as army commander as well as the Chief of Defence Staff.

Military spokesman Major-General Samarasinghe further said the arrest was related to offences Fonseka had committed as the army commander and Chief of Defence Staff.

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem, who was at the scene, was quoted by foreign media agencies as saying, "He was dragged away in a very disgraceful manner in front of our own eyes."

Fonseka`s media secretary Senaka de Silva was also arrested along with him, Opposition Member of Parliament Mano Ganeshan told the media.

Fonseka was presiding over a meeting attended by three political party leaders Ganeshan, Hakim and Somawansa Amarasinghe, when he was arrested. Also present at the meeting were JVP MP Sunil Handunetti and several others.

President Rajapaksa was away in Russia on a three-day state visit and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was also overseas at the time of Fonseka’s arrest, sources told The Island.