EVIDENCE has emerged raising doubts that East Timor's President, Jose Ramos-Horta, was shot and almost killed by a member of the late rebel leader Alfredo Reinado's gang.

Investigators now believe the gunman was wearing a different uniform to that of Reinado's men. The revelation will fuel fresh speculation in Dili that Reinado was lured to Mr Ramos-Horta's house, where gunmen were waiting.

Mario Carrascalao, a member of the ruling coalition, yesterday told the Herald "we still don't know what happened" in February's incident.

He called for the release of a prosecutor-general's report into the attacks and an independent inquiry into "what happened and more importantly why it happened".

Fretilin, the main opposition party, has made similar demands.

"We can't put aside the possibility that Alfredo was set up," said Mr Carrascalao, head of the Social Democrat Party.