LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Officials in Bolivia announced Friday they had arrested four military officers in connection with a thwarted coup against President Luis Arce's government, broadening the case to include more suspects in the armed forces' takeover attempt that shocked the South American country.
Senior Cabinet member Eduardo del Castillo said at a news conference that those newly detained include the driver of a tank that repeatedly rammed into the doors of the government headquarters on Wednesday and a former infantry captain accused of giving orders to soldiers who stormed the capital's central Plaza Murillo.
The total number of those under arrest is 21, including Gen. Juan JoséZúñiga, who led the failed coup.
Around 200 military officers took part in the attempted coup, Bolivia’s ambassador to the Organization of American States said Thursday.
“These people commanded the destruction of Bolivian heritage,” del Castillo said.
Zúñiga, who was arrested Wednesday and was the commanding general of Bolivia's army, has alleged, without providing evidence, that Arce ordered him to carry out the rebellion.
Zúñiga claimed the takeover was all a ruse to boost Arce's flagging popularity as he struggles to manage a spiraling economy, deepening political divisions and bubbling public discontent. Arce on Thursday vigorously denied the accusations.
The embattled president is vying with powerful former President Evo Morales over who will be their party’s candidate in the presidential election next year.
The escalating political feud has left Bolivians disillusioned and bewildered as to what really happened during those three chaotic hours Wednesday when tanks rolled into downtown La Paz, and Arce confronted the putschists face-to-face and ordered them to back off.
Whether Zúñiga’s allegations about Arce are true — or whether the disgruntled general simply sought to exploit Bolivia’s mounting crises for his own benefit — remains unclear.
Authorities say the 21 detainees include a man suspected of conducting intelligence work outside the presidential palace as the coup was underway, and an army sergeant who allegedly coordinated the coup using FaceTime and other social media apps.
On Friday, crowds gathered around a La Paz jail, with one visibly anxious group waiting to meet their family members detained inside, and another rowdy group rallying in support of the government, setting off fireworks and calling for Zúñiga to be punished.
“Zúñiga must pay the highest sentence for having attacked the Bolivian people,” said Cintia Ramos, one of the protesters at the jail.
The general's lawyer, Stiven Orellana, told The Associated Press that prosecutors planned to charge Zúñiga with the crimes of terrorism and starting an armed uprising. He said that Zúñiga would exercise his right to silence.
Police could be seen Friday morning marching Zúñiga through the jail in handcuffs. His wife, Graciela Arzacibia, kept her eyes downcast as she waited for the general to emerge from the police station. Holding a small bag of snacks, she expressed concern for her 6-year-old son, who, she said, believed his jailed father was simply away at work.
“I'm asking that they consider the families," she told the AP. “We're not guilty.”
One man waiting outside the jail, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said his relative, a general detained over alleged ties to the coup attempt “was just following orders.” He said he didn't trust the independence and integrity of the judicial process.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen," the man said. “I feel that these politics afflict the entire country.”
