Former Bolivian president claims his car was hit by gunfire in attempted assassination

(CNN) — Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales said his car was fired on in what he claimed was an “assassination attempt” amid simmering political tensions in the South American country.

Morales, who was not injured, blamed the government for the attack, which he called a “failure” that adds to the “political defeat of a government that has lost legitimacy in the eyes of the Bolivian people.” The government denied any involvement and said that an investigation had been opened.

Morales said he was heading to the radio station in the central Bolivian department of Cochabamba, where he hosts a weekend program, when two vehicles intercepted his car and “four hooded officers dressed in black with weapons in their hands, got out and began to shoot.”

Fourteen bullets hit the car, injuring his driver in the head and arm, Morales said during his radio show.

Morales posted a cell-phone video on Facebook which he claimed shows the alleged attack. It shows the driver’s bloodied head and several bullet holes in the car’s windshield. Morales is seen in the passenger seat as they frantically drive away.

Morales posted to his Instagram profile a statement from his party, Movement Towards Socialism (MAS), blaming the attack on current Bolivian President Luis Arce and two of his government ministers. The statement did not provide evidence supporting this claim.

CNN reached out to the presidential office and the respective government ministries for their response to Morales’ accusations. It also reached out to the Bolivian Attorney General on the status of their investigation.

CNN has not received a response from Arce’s office or the government ministries. However, in a statement on X, Arce condemned political violence and said he had ordered an “immediate and thorough investigation” into the alleged attack.

Bolivia’s Deputy Security Minister Roberto Rios said that there had not been a police operation against Morales and that his department would investigate the claims, including the possibility of a “self-attack” staged by Morales, state-run news agency Agencia Boliviana de Información (ABI) reported.

Several Latin American leaders have condemned the alleged assassination attempt, including Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro also warned the attack could represent a threat to democracy. “Fascism is on the rise throughout Latin America. It is no longer just about legal elimination. Now they are moving on to the same old thing: the physical elimination of those who think differently,” he said.

In a twist on Monday, Bolivian Minister of Government Eduardo Del Castillo Del Carpio accused individuals in Morales’ car of shooting at drug enforcement officers during the same incident.

According to Castillo Del Carpio, law enforcement officers had set up the checkpoint to conduct an anti-drug tracking operation over the weekend. When Morales’ car approached, they ordered it to slow down, but the people onboard sped up and pulled out weapons, firing at the officers, he alleged.

Morales has denied the allegations as “false and lying,” saying in a statement on X that no one in the car carried “any kind of weapon.”

Power struggle

Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous president, led the country for more than a decade before he resigned from his office in November 2019 due to mounting accusations of electoral fraud, which he has denied.

Ultimately, Morales claimed he was forced out in a coup and fled to Mexico, where he was granted political asylum. His resignation was followed by deadly clashes between Bolivian security forces and Morales supporters. After a year of exile in Argentina, Morales returned to his home region of Chapare in central Bolivia in 2020, while stating his intention to remain involved in politics.

Throughout the past year, Morales has clashed with sitting president Arce – his fellow MAS party member and former ally – as both politicians battle for reelection in 2025. Arce’s government is currently investigating Morales over allegations of human trafficking, which he rejects as political persecution.

The power struggle has unfolded during a period of acute economic strife in Bolivia. In recent weeks, blockades set up by Morales’ supporters on major highways have led to food and fuel shortages in some cities.

Bolivian police have said the blockades involve “violent armed groups.” In a statement, Bolivia’s foreign ministry denounced the “destabilizing actions” from Morales, who they said encouraged the blockades in an attempt to “disrupt the democratic order.”

The political turmoil in Bolivia reached a flashpoint in June with the arrest of a general accused of orchestrating a coup against the government. Armed soldiers and armored vehicles led by Gen. Juan Jose Zúñiga attempted to occupy government offices and break into the government palace to oust Arce.

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