Ethiopia says US embassy intruders must be charged

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia's government says it hopes U.S. authorities will prosecute protesters who tried to take down the national flag on the grounds of its embassy in Washington.

A security attache at the embassy, who has since returned home, fired a gun during the Sept. 29 incident, which has renewed tensions between Ethiopia's government and dissident groups.

Dina Mufti, a spokesman for Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Ethiopian state television that the protesters have ties with Eritrea and the Somali Islamic extremist group al-Shabab.

He said the U.S. government is expected to protect the integrity of the embassy and to charge the "intruders," who chanted anti-government slogans as they tried to take down the flag of Ethiopia.

Critics of Ethiopia's government say it is intolerant of political dissent.

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