The Bolivian government announced today, Thursday, the arrest of 17 more people for their alleged involvement in the coup attempt that rocked the South American country the previous day.

Eduardo Del Castillo, a senior cabinet member, did not provide details about most of the seventeen people who were arrested, except to say that one of them is a civilian named Anibal Aguilar Gomez. Gomez was described as the "mastermind" of the failed coup led by the country's army chief, General Juan Jose Zuniga.

Zuniga was arrested along with one of the alleged conspirators and they remain in custody.

Supporters of Bolivian President Arce gathered outside his palace on Thursday after a failed coup attempt the day before, providing some political space for the leader of this economically troubled country as they chanted pro-democracy slogans.

On Wednesday, the South American nation of 12 million people watched in shock and confusion as military forces appeared to turn against President Luis Arce's government, occupying the main square in the capital with armored vehicles, storming the presidential palace with a tank, and firing tear gas at demonstrators. After three hours, the general who led the coup attempt was detained.

On Thursday, riot police guarded the palace gates, and Arce—who is struggling to manage a shortage of foreign currency and fuel in the country—condemned the now-ousted Bolivian army chief, General Juan Jose Zuniga.

Analysts say the increased popular support for Arce, even if fleeting, provides him with the much-needed relief from the economic mire and political turmoil in the country. The president is in a deep competition with popular former president Evo Morales and his former ally, who has threatened to challenge Arce in the 2025 primary elections.

Political analyst Paul Coca, based in La Paz, stated: "The president's administration has been very poor; there are no dollars and no gasoline." "The military move yesterday will improve his image a bit, but it is not a solution."

Some demonstrators gathered outside the police station where the former army general was held, chanting demands for him to go to jail. Dora Queispe, 47, one of the protesters said: "It’s shameful what Zuniga did." "We are in a democratic country, not a dictatorship."

Before his arrest late Wednesday, Zuniga claimed, without providing evidence, that it was Arce himself who ordered the general to carry out the coup attempt as a ploy to boost the president's popularity. This led to a wave of speculation about what really happened, echoed by opposition senators and government critics who described the uprising as a "self-coup"—an allegation that Arce's government vehemently denied.

In the main Murillo square in La Paz, demonstrators addressed Arce and chanted "Lucho, you are not alone!" as fireworks exploded in the sky above. Lucho, the common nickname for Luis, also means "to fight" in Spanish.

Some Bolivians said they believed Zuniga’s claims on national television that the coup attempt was merely a staged event.

Lawyer Ivaristo Mamani, 48, said: "They are cleverly manipulating the people because no one believes it was a real coup."

Legislators and former officials also bolstered these claims, with Carlos Romero, a former official in Morales' government, saying: "It was a scheme." "Zuniga followed the script as instructed."

Shortly after the military action commenced, it became clear that any attempt to seize power lacked meaningful political support. The uprising ended peacefully by the close of business. Arce appointed a new army chief, who immediately ordered the troops to withdraw.

After confronting Zuniga, Arce stated, "Here we are firmly in the presidential palace to confront any coup attempt." Hundreds of supporters of the president flooded the nearby streets late Wednesday night, singing the national anthem and chanting for Arce.

Authorities soon arrested Zuniga as his soldiers withdrew from downtown La Paz.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration Rich Verma condemned Zuniga's actions and noted in his remarks in Paraguay on Thursday that "democracy remains fragile in our hemisphere."

The short-lived uprising came months after escalating tensions between Arce and former president Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous president. Morales has made a dramatic political comeback since mass protests and a deadly crackdown forced him to resign and flee in 2019—a military-backed ousting that his supporters call a coup.

Morales has pledged to run against Arce in the 2025 elections despite a constitutional court ruling that he is ineligible because he has already served. The prospect of Morales running again has raised concerns for Arce, whose popularity has dwindled as the country’s foreign currency reserves have diminished, natural gas exports have declined, and the pegging of its currency to the U.S. dollar has collapsed.

The currency crisis has increased pressure on Arce to abolish food and fuel subsidies that have strained the state’s public finances, a volatile move ahead of elections.

Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo stated that the disturbances on Wednesday have their roots in a private meeting on Tuesday in which Arce dismissed Zuniga over threats from the army chief to arrest Morales if he joined the 2025 race. Arce also denied the legitimacy of Morales’ candidacy for the presidency.

Novillo stated that Zuniga gave no indication to officials during their meeting that he was preparing to seize power.

He said of Zuniga: "He admitted to committing some excesses. We said goodbye in a friendly way, with hugs. Zuniga said he would always be on the side of the president."

Shortly after, panic swept the capital La Paz. Zuniga, followed by armored vehicles and his supporters, stormed the government headquarters and announced that the armed forces sought to "restore democracy in Bolivia."

The influx of soldiers sent Bolivians into a frenzy, rushing to ATMs, lining up outside gas stations, and looting grocery stores. One statistic suggests that Bolivia has seen more than 190 coup attempts and revolutions since its independence in 1825.

The divided opposition in the country rejected the coup before its failure became apparent. Former interim president Jeanine Áñez, detained for her role in the ousting of Morales in 2019, claimed that the soldiers sought to "destroy the constitutional order," but she urged both Arce and Morales not to run in the 2025 elections.

The governor of Santa Cruz, Luis Fernando Camacho, also detained for organizing a coup in 2019, demanded answers from Arce's government on Thursday.

He posted on the social media platform X, "Was it just a media spectacle presented by the government itself, as General Zuniga says? Was it just military madness? Was that just another example of loss of control?"

Zuniga's response was shocking, as he told reporters that Arce directly asked him to storm the palace and bring armored vehicles to downtown La Paz.

Zuniga claimed that the president told him, "The situation is very complicated and very critical. It is necessary to prepare something to boost my popularity."

Bolivian officials denied Zuniga's claims, insisting that the general was lying to justify his actions. Prosecutors indicated they would seek a prison sentence of 15 to 20 years for Zuniga on charges of "attacking the constitution."

Political experts are struggling to understand the underlying reasons for the disturbances that occurred on Wednesday.

Katherine Lidbor, director of the Andes Information Network, a Bolivia-based research group, stated: "This is the strangest coup attempt I have ever seen." "Democracy in Bolivia remains very fragile, and it is certainly more fragile today than it was yesterday."