Ethiopia’s Police Commission on Wednesday said it has foiled what it called planned attacks during the Epiphany celebration in Addis Ababa.
The commission in a statement said the metropolitan police arrested 205 suspects who are currently under investigation.
According to the commission, the suspects had prepared three vehicles to carry out the attack on Tuesday mainly at Jan Meda where the grand Epiphany celebration takes place.
The arrests were made based on tip-offs from community members, according to the Addis Ababa Police Commission.
Security was tight in all parts of Ethiopia and in Addis Ababa as the celebrations took place.
The Ethiopian Epiphany known locally as ‘Timket’ commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist in the River Jordan.
The commemoration starts on the eve of the main festival on 18 January.
The eve is known as Ketera, which means blocking the flow of water for the blessing of the celebrants.
On Ketera, people escort their nearby church Tabots (replicas of the Ark of the Covenant) to Timkete-Bahir (a pool, river or artificial reservoir), as carried by at least two priests of the church and accompanied by a great ceremony and large crowds.
The commission extended gratitude to residents of Addis Ababa who collaborated with the police to apprehend the suspects amid a volatile political situation in the country.
Youth groups in the city reportedly coordinated with law enforcement bodies (Addis Ababa police and Federal police) to ensure that one of the most colorful religious and cultural holidays — Timekt —is celebrated peacefully.
Addis Ababa Police also announced that over 300 other suspects were arrested in the ten sub-cities of the city.
They were said to have hatched a plan to go on a violence spree on the occasion of Epiphany celebration.
Police said they have seized several handguns without licenses.
The police said there was no major security incident in the capital and other parts of the country during the three-day celebration.
MG/as/APA