2009 Country Reports on Terrorism - Bolivia
| Publisher | United States Department of State |
| Publication Date | 5 August 2010 |
| Cite as | United States Department of State, 2009 Country Reports on Terrorism - Bolivia, 5 August 2010, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4c63b6552.html [accessed 10 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The Government of Bolivia cooperated only minimally on counterterrorism. It did not share its counterterrorism information with the U.S. government and we have no information that the Government of Bolivia has active counterterrorism measures. The U.S. government has funds available to provide training opportunities to Bolivian counterterrorism forces, but as is the case with other training opportunities offered by the United States, the Government of Bolivia refused to send anyone on such programs. The Financial Action Task Force has identified Bolivia as a jurisdiction with structural deficiencies in its anti-money laundering/countering terrorist finance (AML/CFT) regime and has agreed with the Government of Bolivia on an action plan to address these deficiencies.
Bolivia continued to expand its relationship with Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism. On November 24, Iranian President Ahmadinejad visited Bolivia as part of a five-nation Latin America tour.
On April 16, a Bolivian National Police SWAT team raided a hotel in the eastern city of Santa Cruz, engaging in a firefight and killing three individuals from Hungary, Ireland, and Romania allegedly connected with a previously-discovered arms cache. Two others, a Hungarian and a Bolivian, were arrested. The Bolivian government alleged that police disrupted a terrorist cell bent on dividing the country, and thwarted a possible presidential assassination attempt. Some opposition members suggested that the incident was staged for political purposes or otherwise manipulated by authorities.
Various individuals affiliated with terrorist groups were reportedly present in Bolivia. There were reports that relatively small numbers of individuals associated with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia were present. Movimiento Revolucionario Tupac Amaru members were also believed to be present, as were members of the Shining Path.
