Shootout between police, unidentified armed men

Security checks have been mounted in strategic locations in The Gambia following a clash early on Monday between unidentified men and soldiers guarding banks in central Banjul's banking district, news organisations reported. One guard was wounded in the incident, according to 'The Daily Observer' newspaper, which reported that the assailants, two of whom wore army camouflage outfits, escaped after the shootout. The Department of State for the Interior said the men "attempted to enter the vicinity of the Central Bank and the premises of the AMRC (Assets Management and Recovery Corporation) and the Trust Bank". 'The Daily Observer' quoted reliable sources close to the military as saying that the attack may have been an attempt to break into an armoury said to be located beneath one of the buildings. "These must have been people who know the army very well, to know there is an armoury here," the paper quoted a soldier as saying. However, a media source told IRIN the Interior Ministry dismissed rumours that the attack was politically motivated.