He was a self-styled folk hero with a Rambo complex and a common touch. Major Alfredo Alves Reinado, who was shot dead this week during a dramatic attempt on the lives of East Timor's president and prime minister, was a quixotic and contradictory figure.
He was hailed as a rebel hero by some East Timorese, as an unprincipled rabble-rouser by others. Trained by the Australian military, Reinado welcomed the Australian-led intervention in his country in 2006, but last week fired 'warning shots' at an Australian patrol. His colossal self-conviction propelled him to centre stage of East Timor's complex political scene.
But it was hubris that led to his ultimate downfall. His half-hearted attempt at launching a coup resulted in his death on Monday and left President Jose Ramos Horta fighting for his life in Darwin.
Reinado, believed to be about 40 years old, first came to prominence in 2006, when 600 soldiers - a third of East Timor's army - mutinied, complaining of discrimination and poor pay and conditions.
When the men were dismissed by the government, gunfights broke out with loyalist police and troops. Reinado became the rebels' leader, fleeing Dili and taking to the hills. Violence over the ensuing weeks left nearly 40 people dead and forced up to 150,000 from their homes.
Charismatic, handsome, with an excellent command of English, he was courted by the international press. Journalists made the bone-shaking three-hour journey from Dili to his mountain retreat, a hilltop villa dating from the Portuguese colonial era. When the South China Morning Post visited him in the villa overlooking the picturesque town of Maubisse, it was clear that Reinado was loving the attention.
