At a moment the South American country of Bolivia is already on edge due to rising inflation and shrinking gas production, ex-president Evo Morales said his car was shot at on Sunday.
He and officials close to him say a pair of vehicles forced his to stop in the middle of a freeway, and that’s when heavily armed unidentified gunmen fired on his car, with a bullet reportedly passing “centimeters” from his head. There are reports saying that Morales’ driver was wounded.
Current president Luis Arce has recently accused Morales and his supporters of “destabilizing” the country amid weeks of roadblocks, which have resulted in supply chain problems which have impacted grocery stores and gas stations.
Morales has been facing what he says is a politically motivated investigation by a government prosecutor, concocted by his enemies, especially the Arce administration.
The former president is accused of statutory rape and human trafficking, which he calls sham charges. He led Bolivia from 2006 to 2019 and was the country’s first indigenous president.
Supporters of the rival political parties in Bolivia have recently engaged in street clashes, with at times entire city areas shut down and key roads blocked amid the mayhem.
BREAKING: Former Bolivian President Evo Morales says his vehicle was shot at amid escalating tensions with President Luis Arce’s government. Morales posted a video on Facebook showing two bullet holes in the windshield and an injured driver. While the video’s authenticity hasn’t… pic.twitter.com/cRmBUoXJst
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) October 27, 2024
Morales’ team is claiming this new incident was a planned assassination attempt. The Morales-aligned bloc of the divided MAS party claimed the following:
“This is not an isolated incident. It’s clear evidence that we are facing a fascist government that does not hesitate to attack the life of former President Evo Morales.”
And according to more related by the Associated Press:
The statement said that two vehicles with heavily armed men dressed in black ambushed Morales’ convoy. Bullets whizzed just “centimeters” from the ex-president’s head, it said. Video posted on the website of Morales’ radio station showed helicopters buzzing over an airstrip where the incident occurred.
President Arce’s statement in the aftermath appeared to confirm this as a serious and credible incident.
People denounce gunfire as multiple helicopters fly over the area of the Ninth Army Division outside of Villa Tunari.
Movement leaders say that an operation was being prepared in recent days, which resulted in the attempt on the life of Evo Morales this morning. pic.twitter.com/tnrQHz1GuD
— Camila (@camilapress) October 27, 2024
“The exercise of any violent practice in politics must be condemned and clarified,” Arce wrote on X. “Problems are not resolved by trying to kill people or by partisan speculation.”
As video of the assassination attempt spreads, authorities fear new unrest could be unleashed…
Bolivia: Thousands gather at the entrance of the Bolivian National Police in Chimoré in response to the assassination attempt against Evo Morales on Sunday morning.
“We are going to encapsulate them here, not even a fly will leave here.” pic.twitter.com/e0Z4UoVxiK
— Kawsachun News (@KawsachunNews) October 27, 2024
However, other key government ministers suggested it may have been a false flag orchestrated by Morales and that he was never truly in danger.
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