Argentine political strategist Fernando Cerimedo is under arrest in Bolivia after a woman who says she is pregnant with his child survived a shooting and accused him of orchestrating the attack.

Former left-wing MAS congressional candidate Nadia Beller was shot three times outside a hotel in Santa Cruz on Monday evening by two people dressed as motorcycle delivery workers.

Beller is recovering in intensive care, from where she spoke to media and prosecutors. The attackers stole her purse and phone before fleeing.

Cerimedo was arrested when he stepped off a plane in Santa Cruz airport and is being investigated for attempted femicide, Attorney General Roger Mariaca told reporters. Mariaca said prosecutors will ask a judge to order Cerimedo’s pre-trial detention.

Cerimedo has worked on political campaigns across the region, including Javier Milei’s victorious 2023 campaign in Argentina. He also advised Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz’s 2025 campaign, and has worked with with Jair Bolsonaro’s political movement in Brazil.

Bolivia’s Presidency did not respond to a request for comment. Cerimedo also did not respond to a request for comment sent to his phone.

In an interview from her hospital bed, Beller told local broadcaster DTV that she had gone to the hotel at Cerimedo’s request.

José Luis Lupo, who until recently served as Bolivia’s Minister of the Presidency, told local media that Cerimedo had continued to provide “support” to Paz after the election, though was not on the government’s pay-roll.

Cerimedo was formally named as a suspect by Brazil’s Federal Police in 2024 as part of the investigation into the attempted coup for which Jair Bolsonaro was later convicted and sentenced to 27 years in prison. Federal prosecutors, however, ultimately did not bring charges against Cerimedo.

Cerimedo is close to Eduardo Bolsonaro, Jair Bolsonaro’s son who has been living in self-imposed exile in the US since last year.

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by Sergio Mendoza, Manuela Tobias & Daniel Carvalho, Bloomberg