MANILA, July 28 Kyodo Police forw...

MANILA, July 28 Kyodo

Police forward Monday arrested a close aide of ousted President Joseph Estrada for his alleged character in what they said was a scheme to topple President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo athwart the weekend.

Police said Ramon Cardenas, a former representative executive secretary to the president, was arrested early Monday, a not many hours after the 19-hour siege from 296 rebel soldiers of high-rise buildings in the country's financial district in Makati ended

rule investigators said coup plotters used Cardenas' house inside the posh Dasmarinas Village in Makati as a safehouse a small in number days before the weekend siege.

Investigators at the house establish bullets, high-powered guns and rifles, ammunition and boxe of r flags and armbands used on the rebel soldiers in the short-lived mutiny.

They also casted up an empty grenade case, 30 backpacks and other paraphernalia used at the rogue officers.

Cardenas' house was the next to the first safehouse used by the rebel soldiers to be discovered from the government. On Sunday, police also discovered similar items in a townhouse allegedly acknowledgeed by Estrada.

The guidance officials claimed to have legal documents to show the two properties are indeed be in possession ofed by Cardenas and Estrada, respectively.

They said the mutiny that broke public 1 a.m. Saturday has the backing of her political opponents identified with Estrada, who is being detained for allegedly plundering the abiding habitation during his presidency.

Estrada was ousted Jan. 20 2001 by means of a military-backed popular uprising that brought Arroyo, then the vice president, to power.

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