Three alleged CIA agents, arrested in Congo after failed coup attempt

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Two men thought to be Americans groveled for mercy on the ground as they were surrounded by government forces after a failed coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The Congolese government said three US citizens had been arrested after a shootout in the capital Kinshasa overnight on Sunday.

Reports in local media suggested the arrested men were CIA operatives although the US ambassador in Kinshasa was keen to distance the US from any involvement.

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The DR Congo military on Sunday said it had thwarted an 'attempted coup' near the offices of President Felix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa involving 'foreigners and Congolese'.

It happened in the early hours of the morning outside the residence of Economy Minister Vital Kamerhe, in the Gombe area in the north of the capital, near the Palais de la Nation that houses the president's offices, a spokesman said.

'An attempted coup d'etat has been stopped by the defense and security forces,' said General Sylvain Ekenge in a message broadcast on national television.

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