Several suspects were arrested on Tuesday concerning a foiled assassination attempt on Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina, the country’s prosecutor general’s office said.

"Several foreign and Madagascar nationals were arrested on Tuesday, July 20, as part of an investigation into an attack on state security," said prosecutor Berthine Razafiarivony, in a statement released overnight.

"At this stage of the investigation, which is ongoing, the prosecutor general's office assures we will shed light on this case," she added.

"According to the evidence in our possession, these individuals had devised a plan for the elimination and neutralization of a number of people, including the head of state," the attorney general said.

It added that investigations were underway, and further details could not be disclosed.

Rajoelina was sworn in as president of the island country in 2019 after a hard-fought election and a constitutional court challenge from his rival.

The extent of the plot, or how far advanced, was not immediately clear.

The statement did not specify the nationality of the foreign nationals.

Citing diplomatic sources, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that two French citizens are among the detained suspects.