Guinea-Bissau soldiers were in control of the capital of the coup-prone nation Friday and holding both the prime minister and interim president, as the world condemned their power grab.

Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior -- the favorite in a second-round presidential election set for this month -- was seized in a military assault on his home using rocket-propelled grenades the previous evening.

Guinea-Bissau troops staged a coup attempt late Thursday, attacking the prime minister's residence and taking over ruling party headquarters and the national radio station.

Gunshots and rocket-propelled grenades were fired in the darkened streets of the capital of the putsch-prone former Portuguese colony, which is in the middle of a bitterly disputed two-round presidential election.

Guinea-Bissau's government has said that its security forces executed a police officer earlier this week as he turned himself in over his role in what the regime describes as a coup bid.

Jaime Jose Nhate, chief of staff for the interior ministry, said late Thursday that civil society organizations had informed the minister of Major Yaya Dabo's intent to turn himself in.

A military coup led by renegade troops was foiled Monday in Guinea-Bissau, the head of the army of the impoverished coup-prone west African state said.

"A small group of soldiers" tried to "topple the top brass of the army and the government," but failed, General Antonio Indjai said, adding: "The situation is under the control of the army and the government."