Former President Is Arrested in Alleged Plot

Former Haitian President Prosper Avril was arrested on charges of plotting against the state, family members said.

Avril, who was president from 1988 to 1990, was seized by police at a restaurant in Petion-Ville, a suburb of the capital, Port-au-Prince, as he signed copies of his new book about Haitian crime victims, "The Black Book of Insecurity," his daughter said.

Carine Avril-Cineas said she later received a phone call from her father saying he had been arrested on charges of "plotting against the state." A police spokesman said he was not aware of Avril's arrest.