A court in East Timor has convicted 23 rebels over the attempted assassination of the president and prime minister in 2008. The defendants – most of them former soldiers and police officers – were jailed for up to 16 years. A further five defendants were acquitted, including an Australian woman, Angelita Pires, who was the girlfriend of the rebel leader killed in the assassination attempt. President Jose Ramos-Horta was shot and seriously wounded in the attack outside his home in the capital Dili. The Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmao, escaped injury when his motorcade was ambushed on the same day.