LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivian officials announced Friday they had arrested four more military officers in connection with Wednesday’s thwarted coup against the government of President Luis Arce, raising to 21 the number of detainees allegedly linked to a rogue general’s mutiny attempt.
In a press conference, senior Cabinet member Eduardo del Castillo said those arrested include the driver of a tank that repeatedly rammed into the doors of the government headquarters and a former infantry captain accused of giving orders to soldiers who took over the capital’s central Plaza Murillo.
“These people commanded the destruction of Bolivian heritage,” del Castillo said.
The coup attempt was led by Juan José Zuñiga, who until his public sacking and arrest Wednesday was the commanding general of the army. Zuñiga has alleged, without providing evidence, that Arce ordered him to carry out the rebellion in a ruse to boost his flagging popularity as he struggles to manage a spiraling economy and bubbling public discontent.
Arce on Thursday night vigorously denied accusations that he had carried out a “self-coup” to garner political support.
The embattled president is vying for control of his ruling socialist party with powerful ex-President Evo Morales ahead of next year’s presidential election. The 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 Zuñiga to stand down.
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.
Crowds gathered outside the cells of a La Paz jail, with one group waiting to meet their family members detained inside and another rallying in support of the government, setting off fireworks and calling for Zúñiga to be punished.
Maria Tarifa, one of the lawyers of the jailed generals, declined to share details of the case. “They’re waiting to obtain justice that is concrete and as objective as possible,” she said of the detainee’s family.
Zúñiga on Friday morning was marched through the jail handcuffed and surrounded by police. His wife sat with eyes downcast, holding a small bag of snacks as she waited for the general to emerge.
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