Watch shocking moment Bolivian turncoat general is bundled away and arrested on live TV after dramatic botched coup
THIS is the shocking moment a Bolivian turncoat general is bundled away and arrested on live television after his botched military coup.
Bolivia suffered hours of agony as soldiers led by General Juan José Zúñiga took control of Plaza Murillo, in La Paz, and stormed the government's presidential palace.
His troops managed to break in to Quemado Palace after they had broken through the gate with an armoured car.
Gen Zúñiga had been removed from his role on Tuesday after making inflammatory comments about Bolivia's former president, Evo Morales, during an interview.
He stated that he would arrest Morales if the former president ever returned to power.
On Wednesday, Zúñiga's forces took control of the government of president Luis Arce as they vowed to "restore democracy".
Read more world news
But president Arce swiftly dismantled the attempted coup and appointed a new army commander who gave the order to withdraw the troops.
After three hours, the uprising was put down as soldiers and a convoy of military vehicles pulled back from the centre of La Paz.
Hundreds of Arce's supporters then flocked to the square outside the palace, singing the national anthem and waving Bolivian flags.
Dramatic footage showed demoted Zúñiga speaking to dozens of frenzied reporters as he was detained on suspicion of terrorism and armed uprising.
He was later seen cuffed and paraded by police officers in a true walk of shame as Zúñiga wore a black vest saying "aprehended".
What sparked the botched coup in Bolivia?
by Juliana Cruz Lima, Foreign News Reporter
GENERAL Juan José Zuñiga did not explicitly claimed his uprising as a military coup.
Instead, he told local television stations it was an "attempt to restore democracy" in Bolivia and "to free political prisoners."
He told the press that there was a “mobilisation of all military units” due to “the situation in the country”.
"We are hearing the cry of the people. Because for many years an elite has been in control of the country," Zúñiga declared.
"Owners of the State, vandals are in the different structures of the State, destroying the country.
"The Armed Forces intend to restructure democracy," continued Zúñiga.
Moments before his arrest on live TV, the turncoat general claimed that Arce himself told him to storm the palace in a political move.
"The president told me: 'The situation is very screwed up, very critical. It is necessary to prepare something to raise my popularity'," Zúñiga quoted the Bolivian leader as saying.
There was no immediate response from Arce to the allegations.
Footage on Bolivian television showed Arce confronting Zúñiga in the palace hallway while the attempted coup took place.
Arcesaid: "I am your captain, and I order you to withdraw your soldiers, and I will not allow this insubordination.
Surrounded by ministers, he added: "Here we are, firm in Casa Grande, to confront any coup attempt. We need the Bolivian people to organise."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
"Today was number 194 and from what we are seeing it went wrong. It's good that it went wrong, Bolivian democracy has shown that it has the antibodies to defend itself."
In 2019, Morales was ousted as president following an earlier political crisis.