La Paz, Bolivia.- Bolivian Government Minister Eduardo del Castillo said on Friday that they have information that there were snipers on the way, summoned for the failed coup attempt, who did not arrive in time to the square in front of the government headquarters where the massive military deployment took place two days ago.
Investigations, Del Castillo said in an interview with The Associated Press, will determine who the snipers were targeting.
Not all people “broke the law in the same way,” said the Minister of Government about the at least 200 soldiers who participated in the failed coup attempt that plunged Bolivia into political tension and chaos for several hours on Wednesday, until the military leadership was dismissed and replaced by President Luis Arce.
There were, he stressed, other people involved who had other types of instructions “such as commanding a group of snipers” and that it will be necessary to wait for the investigation to “determine who these snipers who did not arrive in time to Murillo Square” were targeting, where the government palace and the Bolivian Congress are located.
Arce was at the government headquarters when the military deployment took place, which included several armored military vehicles and left at least 15 wounded and 21 uniformed personnel detained, among them, the three commanders of the Armed Forces.
Del Castillo explained in his office that there were more than 200 people surrounding the Murillo plaza “and preventing the police forces from arriving, preventing the life and integrity of the president from being protected.”
“What we need to do is to put these people who have committed crimes, who have tried to transgress one of the most important principles of the Bolivian people, which is democracy, in jail,” stressed the Minister of Government.
One of the measures that President Arce’s administration is considering, following the failed coup attempt, is to strengthen military counterintelligence and ensure that the units assigned to that task do not depend on a single head.
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