Addis Ababa, Jun 28 (IANS): The anti-terror and constitutional affairs bench of the Ethiopian Federal High Court on Monday sentenced the killer of the east African country's late army chief to life imprisonment.

Seare Mekonen was killed by his bodyguard Mesfin Tigabu on June 22, 2019, as part of what Ethiopian authorities described as a coordinated effort to destabilise the government, reports Xinhua news agency.

The government at the time accused Amhara region security chief, Asaminew Tsige, of masterminding a failed coup to destabilise the country.

The coup attempt also left several other senior government officials dead, including Amhara region president Ambachew Mekonen and Attorney General of the Amhara region Migbaru Kebede.

Tsige, who went into hiding soon after the assassinations, was killed several days later in a "shootout".

The coup attempt also triggered a 10-day internet blackout throughout Ethiopia as the government launched a nationwide crackdown, mainly in the Amhara region and the capital, Addis Ababa.