Police discovers firearms in US embassy van in Bolivia A policeman outside the US embassy in La Paz, Bolivia (file photo) Wed Mar 28, 2012 9:18AM Bolivian police officers have discovered firearms in a van belonging to the US embassy during a routine search in the country's northeast.
Bolivia's Interior Minister Carlos Romero said that the firearms, including three shotguns, a revolver and more than two-thousand cartridges, were found in the northeastern city of Trinidad on Tuesday, AFP reported.
Police stopped the vehicle for inspection following a tip from intelligence services, the minister said, calling the incident a matter of “national security.”
“We're talking about actions that put the security of the nation in danger, about actions that call into question the respect for state institutions and the laws of the Bolivian state,” he said.
Bolivian President Evo Morales has recently stated that he would shut down the American embassy in La Paz if Washington continues to interfere in Bolivia’s internal affairs.
"If the US embassy continues bothering Bolivia, as it is doing now, then it is best we close the United States embassy in Bolivia because we are anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist and anti-neoliberals," Morales said.
Morales has been publicly critical of US policies towards his nation, charging that a number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been engaged in spying against the country on behalf of the US.
The American embassy in Bolivia has issued a statement, claiming that Washington often provides weapons and ammunition to local police officers in many other countries to protect US diplomatic installations.
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