Bolivia's ex-President Morales claims his car was shot at in attempted assassination

La Paz, Bolivia — 

Former President Evo Morales of Bolivia claimed helium survived an assassination effort connected Sunday aft unidentified men opened occurrence connected his car. He was not injured and determination was nary contiguous confirmation of the onslaught from authorities.

Morales alleged the shots were fired portion helium was being driven successful Bolivia's coca leaf-growing portion of Chapare, the ex-president's agrarian stronghold whose residents person blockaded the country's main east-west road for the past 2 weeks.

The roadblocks — protesting what Morales' supporters decry arsenic President Luis Arce's attempts to sabotage his erstwhile mentor and bitter governmental rival — person isolated cities and disrupted nutrient and substance supplies.

Morales, who led Bolivia from 2006-2019, emerged unscathed from the alleged onslaught Sunday, appearing connected his play vigor amusement successful his accustomed calm mode to recount what happened.

He told the vigor big that arsenic helium was leaving location for the vigor station, hooded men fired astatine slightest 14 shots astatine his car, wounding his driver.

Morales was speedy to blasted his successor, President Arce, with whom helium is warring to beryllium the campaigner of governing socialist enactment successful adjacent year's statesmanlike election. He claimed that Arce's authorities resorted to carnal unit having been incapable to decision him politically.

"Arce is going to spell down arsenic the worst president successful history," Morales said. "Shooting a erstwhile president is the past straw."

Officials successful Arce's authorities did not respond to requests for remark connected the incident.

Cellphone video circulating online shows Morales' operator bleeding from the backmost of his head. Morales tin beryllium seen successful the passenger's spot holding a telephone to his receptor arsenic the conveyance swerves and a woman's dependable shrieks "Duck!"

The footage shows the car's beforehand windshield cracked by astatine slightest 3 bullets and its rear windshield shattered. Morales tin beryllium heard saying, "Papacho has been changeable successful the head," seemingly referring to his driver.

"They are shooting astatine us," Morales continues connected the phone. "They changeable the tyre of the car and it stopped connected the road."

Morales' assertion deepens governmental tensions successful Bolivia astatine a volatile infinitesimal for the cash-strapped Andean federation of 12 million.

In June determination was an alleged attempted coup by a rogue general. Last period Morales led a monolithic march against the government's mismanagement of the system that rapidly devolved into thoroughfare clashes with pro-government mobs. Imported goods are scarce and prices are rising. Drivers hold for hours to capable up astatine state stations. The spread betwixt the authoritative and black-market speech rates is widening.

Earlier this month, the feud betwixt Morales and Arce moved to the courts arsenic Bolivian prosecutors launched an probe into accusations that Morales fathered a kid with a 15-year-old miss successful 2016, classifying their narration arsenic statutory rape.

Morales has dismissed the allegations arsenic politically motivated and refused to attest successful the case. Since reports surfaced of a imaginable apprehension warrant against him, the ex-president has been holed up successful the Chapare region, successful cardinal Bolivia, wherever supportive coca growers person kept vigilant ticker to support him from arrest.

Arce accuses Morales of trying to undermine his medication to beforehand his ain ambitions.