Marcelo Javier Zegarracommander of the Bolivian Air Force during the Coup attempt In Bolivia he was arrested this Friday, hours after President Luis Arce himself thanked him for not having given in to the attempt, despite the fact that he entered Plaza Murillo, in front of the Palacio Quemado, with General Juan José Zúñiga. Thus, those detained for the attempted coup d’état now number 21.
On Thursday night, at a press conference, Luis Arce recounted the moment of tension with General Zúñiga face to face, where he rebuked Zegarra, whom he later thanked.
“I also confronted General Zegarra of the Air Force, and he hesitated. I insisted that he reflect on the consequences that this could have according to the regulations of the Armed Forces, and in this discussion, Zuñiga and Vice Admiral Arnez left the place,” said Arce.
At the end of the 50-minute press conference, Arce acknowledged Zegarra, now under arrest. “We see that the police did not join in, this is an important fact. We see the attitude of the commander of the Air Force, General Zegarra, who is reflecting. We have also applauded this attitude,” said the president. A day earlier, the Minister of Government had also praised Zegarra.
However, this Friday the same Government Minister, Eduardo del Castillo, confirmed the news: “Another of the most important people who has been apprehended (…) is General Zegarra, former commander of the Air Force.” But, unlike the rest of those arrested, he was not presented to the media and only his name was reported to the press.
Two days ago, Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo himself had involved Zegarra. “In addition, other senior military commanders were present. They participated in a series of meetings, not only military personnel but also civilian personnel,” the official highlighted.
Zegarra had submitted voluntarily and with two lawyers to give their statement. “The Public Ministry has found elements, indications, by which it has determined his arrest at the conclusion of his statement,” he said.
This completes the arrests of the top brass of the three Bolivian armed forces. The former heads of the Army and Navy are being held on charges of “terrorism and armed uprising against the security and sovereignty of the State.”
Three more soldiers arrested
The Minister of Government reported that they arrested Miguel Ángel Burgos, the infantry captain who “commanded the entire operation” to destroy the gate of the Palacio Quemado with a tank. They also arrested two other sergeants, Alan Condori, the tank driver, and Demetrio Mamani.
“According to preliminary investigations, this entire criminal organization communicated through a cell phone application called FaceTime,” the minister stressed.
On Thursday, the government had announced that it had 17 detainees but was seeking at least three more.
On Thursday, two civilians were arrested, Aníbal Aguilar Gómez and Juan Mario Paulsen. The Minister of Government presented Aguilar Gómez as the “ideologist” of the failed coup.
Infantry captain Miguel Burgos arrested this Friday. Photo: EFE/ STRHe is a specialist in strategic planning, he is the brother of Evo Morales’ former Minister of Education, Roberto Aguilar Gómez. He is known for his activism for natural resources and his anti-Chilean speech. In fact, he shouted that the government would deliver the lithium to Chile and declared a hunger strike, while the minister ordered him to be removed from the room.
Seven other detainees are: Roman Caway, Julio Buitrago, Lionel Sanjinez, Miguel Iriarte, Luis Balanza, Waldir Mamani, and Marco Caviedes.
The Bolivian government said there were constant communications between the commander general of the Army’s mechanized brigade, Edison Irahola, and the infantry commander of Ayacucho, Juan Delgadillo. Both are also under arrest. The Public Prosecutor’s Office is also looking for three “retired soldiers.”
