Ecuador foils assassination 'plot'

Ecuadorean police have arrested four men for allegedly plotting to kill Rafael Correa, the president, security officials say.   Washington Pesantez, Ecuador's attorney-general, said security officials uncovered the plot by the men, who included three Colombians, on Thursday.

"We don't know the particular details [of the plot], we only know that there were foreigners with contracts to attack the president," he said.   The suspects were reportedly arrested at a five-star hotel across from the president's palace and at two other hotels in Quito, Ecuador's capital.

Gustavo Larrea, Ecuador's security minister, said the men were also probably plotting against other government officials.   Local media reported the men were found with photos of the presidential palace and maps of the nearby streets.

Larrea told Bogota-based radio Caracol that Ecuador was working with Colombia's police force to see if the suspects had a criminal record or if they were members of any armed or criminal group.

'Simply con men'  

But Correa himself cast doubt on the plot.   "There is a high possibility that they are simply con men," he said on Thursday.   He said the men had demanded money for information on the plot.   Police must "continue to investigate, but we are not alarmed".