Military and police units stormed a hotel in the Philippine capital Manila today to end a short coup attempt by a small group of soldiers and others who had called on the army to mutiny.
Government forces fired teargas into the lobby of the hotel and used an armoured personnel carrier to batter down its glass doors before storming in. There were no casualties.
The rebel soldiers, a senator and a handful of priests who had occupied the hotel were arrested.
Most of the guests had been evacuated before the assault, but over 100 people, including hotel staff and journalists, were caught up in the siege.
Senator Antonio Trillanes, who led a failed mutiny in 2003 against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and was elected to the upper house in May, was hauled away in handcuffs.
Fellow mutineers, including around two dozen soldiers, a priest and a retired bishop, were also arrested along with scores of journalists.
Authorities said the journalists would be freed after identity checks.
"We are going out for the sake of the safety of everybody," Senator Trillanes earlier told reporters. "For your sake, because we will not live with our conscience if some of you get hurt or get killed in the crossfire. We cannot afford that."
It was the latest in a series of coups in the Philippines since the ousting of dictator Ferdinand Marcos two decades ago.
It started when Senator Trillanes and some other soldiers walked out of their own trial for the 2003 mutiny, escorted by guards assigned to keep them from escaping.
They marched to the Peninsula Hotel in Manila’s Makati financial district and took over the building, calling for the overthrow of President Arroyo.
The rebel soldiers had earlier stopped people from leaving the hotel lobby as a deadline for them to end their mutiny passed but later relented and let them go.
Ms Arroyo, deeply unpopular due to long-running corruption allegations, has survived at least two coup plots and three impeachment bids. The jaded middle class is sick of political instability, and she has a huge majority in the lower house. Ms Arroyo has also been buoyed by a strong economy.