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WORLD NEWS Thursday 15 February 2018

Bolivian government says Carnival bomb killed 4, hurt 10

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bo- ponents plan marches
livian officials said Wednes- across the country on Feb.
day that a bomb caused 21, the two-year anniver-
an explosion that killed four sary of a national vote re-
people during Carnival cel- jecting the leftist president's
ebrations. plan to seek a fourth term.
The explosion occurred late Despite the vote, Bolivia's
Tuesday in the middle of Constitutional Court is al-
Carnival celebrations in the lowing Morales' plans to go
city of Oruro, the capital of forward. "If the explosion is
Morales' home province, an action by the ultra-right,
killing four and wounding what's underway is a con-
10. Police Gen. Faustino spiracy against democra-
Mendoza told reporters cy," Hugo Moldis, a former
that the device was made member of Morales' ad-
of dynamite, ammonium ministration, said on Twitter.
nitrate and fuel oil, all com- Opposition senator Oscar
monly used in homemade Ortiz called on the govern-
explosives. ment and its allies to refrain
Mendoza said the bomb from making unfounded
had left a crater nearly 4 accusations.
feet (1.3 meters) wide and “We don’t want this to be-
1.5 feet (43 centimeters) Police inspect the site of an explosion that killed four people, in Oruro, Bolivia, Wednesday, Feb. come a source of specula-
deep. On Saturday, an 14, 2018. Bolivia's Defense Minister Javier Zabaleta says an explosive was used in a blast that went tion,” he said. “Let police
explosion along the Carni- off Tuesday night, the second deadly explosion to hit the city of Oruro during Carnival celebra- and prosecutors carry out
val route two blocks from tions. a responsible, credible in-
Tuesday's attack left eight (AP Photo/Emilio Huascar) vestigation.” q
dead and 40 wounded.
plosion on a food vendor's Mexico admits government spies tail candidate
Police blamed the first ex-
gas canister, but said they
are reevaluating that in the By MARK STEVENSON Ricardo Anaya solely for candidate in an SUV. Na- “following, keeping an eye
wake of the second attack. MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mex- security reasons, and said varrete acknowledged the on the campaigns,” some-
"The proximity of one to ico's Interior Department authorities had thought he man was indeed a long- thing he said was legal.
the other raises doubts," acknowledged Wednes- had been informed. time agent with 26 years' “This is not a question, let
Defense Minister Javier Za- day that a federal intel- "It was apparently an irreg- experience at the agency. me be perfectly clear, of
valeta said. Officials said ligence agency sent a ularity, because he should "Instead of pursuing crimi- clandestine spying, of any-
three people had been plainclothes agent to tail have been informed," Na- nals, they spy on oppo- thing illegal, of anything
detained for questioning in an opposition presidential varrete said, adding the nents," Anaya wrote, claim- other than a protocol in
the second explosion. candidate, even though "the only purpose was to ing other agents in other which we analyze security
An ally of President Evo Mo- the candidate never asked report any mishap" that cars had also been follow- issues in the states.”
rales publicly implied that for and apparently did not might occur when the can- ing him. Navarrete said the CISEN
opposition forces were be- want a tail.There have long didate was on the highway Navarrete, who oversees had suspended one of its
hind the attack and oppo- been fears the ruling par- to a campaign event over the agency, denied that officials and would carry
sition members called on ty was using the National the weekend in the Gulf the tails constituted spying. out an internal investiga-
government backers to re- Center for Security and coast state of Veracruz, He said he thought Anaya tion.
frain from blaming anyone Investigation for political where drug cartel violence knew about the arrange- Critics questioned the justi-
without evidence. Bolivia spying. But few suspected is common. ment because federal fication for monitoring polit-
has seen very little political the monitoring would be so On Tuesday, Anaya posted authorities had informed ical opponents in a country
violence over the last 12 clumsy. a video of himself confront- the Veracruz state govern- that has struggled to carry
years and a politically mo- Interior Secretary Alfonso ing the agent, who identi- ment, whose governor be- out successful intelligence
tivated bombing would be Navarrete said that the fied himself as a CISEN em- longs to Anaya's conserva- operations against its main
highly unusual. agency, known as CISEN, ployee when asked why tive National Action Party. security threat, the drug
Morales' backers and op- had put a tail on candidate he had been following the Navarrete said agents were cartels.q