According to insiders, the deputy ambassador and a military attache gunned him down and took over as ambassadors on behalf of the military rulers.

Myanmar’s military carried out a coup on 1 February after government leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s pro-democracy party won the election in November. The military detained members of the civilian government and accused Aung San Suu Kyi and her party of electoral fraud.

Ambassador Kyaw Zwar Min to London has broken ties with the junta in recent weeks and called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. On Wednesday, the ambassador told Reuters news agency he had been laid off. “It’s like a coup in the heart of London,” he said right in front of the embassy building. “You can see that they have taken over my building.” The ambassador said he was in consultation with the British Foreign Office.

Four diplomatic sources say Deputy Ambassador Chit Win has taken control of the embassy and that he and the military attache have locked up the ambassador. The ambassador spoke to the protesters in front of the embassy building. When Kyo Zwar Min called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi last month, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab praised his courage.

“This is my building. I have to go in. That’s why I’m here waiting,” the ambassador told reporters. The British Foreign Office said it is currently investigating the situation at the Myanmar embassy.

Kyaw Zwar Min is not the first Myanmar diplomat to clash with a military junta. UN Ambassador Kyaw Mo Tun has also spoken out against the military coup. He called for international sanctions against military rule. When the military sought to replace him, Kyaw Mo Tun refused to step down, claiming that he represented Myanmar’s democratically elected government.