Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says police have thwarted a plot to assassinate her.
About 12 people have been arrested, including members of the army and police, the BBC reports.
Police and government officials in the Caribbean nation have released few details of the alleged plot, saying they did not want to jeopardize ongoing investigations.
Ms Persad-Bissessar said the Trinidadian government remained in control, with the security forces on full alert.
In an address to the nation, condemned the alleged conspiracy against her and several members of her cabinet as "an evil, devious act of treason".
Ms Persad-Bissessar blamed the alleged plot on "criminal elements" acting in "reprisal" for a state of emergency she declared in August to counter a surge in violent crime linked to drugs gangs, saying she was not surprised that "criminal elements" were bent on "reprisals".
