A Bolivian general, Juan José Zúñiga, was arrested on Wednesday after he allegedly attempted to stage a short-lived coup d’état against the government of President Luis Arce.
The incident came after soldiers, reportedly under Zúñiga’s direction, stormed the presidential palace in La Paz in what Arce described as an attempt to overthrow his socialist government.
Videos from the event depicted military personnel securing the area, only to receive orders from loyalist commanders to disperse shortly after occupying the government building and a nearby plaza.
Zúñiga, who had been relieved of his duties the previous day, was taken into custody after the attorney general announced that he would be opening an investigation into the matter.
In comments to journalists, Zúñiga claimed that his actions were done at the request of the president himself to boost his political popularity. Government officials strongly denied these claims.
The White House responded to the confrontation by saying that the State Department was closely monitoring the situation in the South American country while suggesting that Bolivians show “calm and restraint.”
