Honduran troops surround presidential palace

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduran troops surrounded the presidential palace on Sunday after soldiers detained leftist President Manuel Zelaya at his residence in a constitutional crisis over his attempt to win re-election.

A witness said some 200 armed soldiers in combat gear had surrounded the palace and more were arriving. Two air force fighter jets screamed over the capital.

The president, an ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, fired the armed forces chief of staff last week for refusing to help him organize an unofficial referendum on Sunday on allowing presidents to serve more than a single four-year term.