Mohamed Ghannouchi
Ben Ali then sacked Ammar for not obeying his order and put him under house arrest. On 14 January, Ben Ali fled Tunisia and Ammar was reinstated by Mohamed Ghannouchi. On 15 January, "The Economist Online" reported that the Tunisian military was being led by Ammar. "The New York Times" reported there was speculation that Ammar would take over the country and become president. The Egyptian newspaper "Almasry Alyoum" reported that the embassy of the United States had told Ammar to take control of Tunisia if the country became politically unstable.