Honduras' President Manuel Zelaya salutes during a news conference at the presidential house in Tegucigalpa, Friday, 26 June 2009Soldiers detained the president of Honduras, Jose Manuel Zelaya, on Sunday - the day he set for a referendum on changing the constitution to allow him to run for another term.

Shortly after the president's arrest, protesters calling the action a coup d'etat flocked to the presidential palace. Honduran troops surrounded the palace and blocked the entrances.

Aides to the president say troops took Mr. Zelaya from his residence Sunday morning. Officials say he was taken to an air force base on the outskirts of the capital city Tegucigalpa. Local news media are reporting the president has been sent into exile, but this is not confirmed.

Allies of the president say shots were fired during the arrest.

The European Union has condemned the military's action against the Honduran president and called for his urgent release and a return to constitutional normality.

President Zelaya was going ahead with the referendum in defiance of the Honduran Supreme Court, which declared the vote illegal. The Honduran military had refused to help organize the balloting. The president fired the armed forces chief of staff, General Romeo Vasquez, last week for failing to support him.

President Zelaya was elected in 2006 to a four-year term. The 1982 constitution bans re-election.

The Honduran president enjoys the support of leftist Latin American leaders, including Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Cuba's Fidel Castro.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.