Spain’s Mysterious Ties to Wanted Bolivians

Wall Street Journal ^ | January 5, 2020 | Mary Anastasia O'Grady

[billorites]

Spanish special-operations police, their faces covered with balaclavas and their weapons visible, attempted to force their way past Bolivian police at the Mexican Embassy in La Paz on Dec. 27. The effort failed but it left behind troubling questions about whether rogue interests inside the Spanish government are working with Mexico on behalf of former Bolivian officials, some of whom face criminal charges.

Spanish elite police had already escorted the Spanish Embassy’s chargé d’affaires and its consul to the Mexican Embassy earlier that morning. When two more cars, carrying masked members of the same counterterrorism unit, showed up later and tried to intimidate Bolivian police, it was an unprecedented breach of diplomatic norms.

All the more extraordinary is the claim by Bolivian Foreign Minister Karen Longaric on Dec. 30 that Spain’s acting Foreign Minister Margarita Robles told her the operation wasn’t authorized. Ms. Robles is also Spain’s defense minister.

So who put the operation in motion and why?

edit...

Mexico is running interference for the wanted Bolivians. And it seems to have tried to spring Mr. Quintana and his friends with the help of Spanish government insiders.

The chargé d’affaires claims she was only making a diplomatic call at the Mexican Embassy. But to do that she didn’t need the consul, who is responsible for issuing Spanish passports and visas. It isn’t unreasonable to suspect that the Spaniards sought to smuggle the wanted Bolivians out of the Mexican Embassy, past Bolivian police, disguised in the masks of the special-forces officers who tried to enter the building.

The unanswered questions are why someone with power inside the Spanish government wants to protect the likes of Mr. Quintana and what interest Mr. López Obrador has in sheltering him and his colleagues.

[livius]

The current (recently elected) Spanish government is radically left wing, that’s why. Expect more of this.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

They have plenty of their own war criminals to chase after. I don't see why they are wasting their time on other country's war criminals.

[SunkenCiv]

Spanish special-operations police, their faces covered with balaclavas and their weapons visible, attempted to force their way past Bolivian police at the Mexican Embassy in La Paz on Dec. 27. The effort failed but it left behind troubling questions about whether rogue interests inside the Spanish government are working with Mexico on behalf of former Bolivian officials, some of whom face criminal charges.

Deep state gotta go.

[MrEdd]

Gotta be fake news.
Who wants Bolivians?

[Oshkalaboomboom]

Don't want to hijack the thread but there is a new series starting you might watch out for on streaming services, starring former Time Team presenter Tony Robinson. Tony Robinson's History of Britain looks at history through the lives of ordinary people rather than the rich and the famous. We just watched the first episode and it was a lot more entertaining than I expected it to be.

[SunkenCiv]

• Russia beclowns itself on Bolivia -- alongside Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua...

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks, I generally enjoy his shows. I've watched his walks through Britain (I think on Amazon Prime?) and the bulk of the Time Team episodes (YouTube mostly, some on Prime) and that show about the Australian guy who's really the "rightful" king of England.