GOU THWARTS ALLEGED ASSASSINATION THREAT

C O N F I D E N T I A L MONTEVIDEO 000239 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/30/2018 TAGS: PGOV ASEC KCRM UY SUBJECT: GOU THWARTS ALLEGED ASSASSINATION THREAT Classified By: Charge de Affaires a.i. Robin Matthewman for reasons (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) According to media reports, police detained a man April 29 suspected of planning to assassinate President Vazquez. Family members of the unnamed suspect reportedly told police they believed he planned to try to kill the President when Vazquez visited the Dolores Hospital in the Department of Soriano on April 30. Police detained the suspect and seized a handgun at his residence. The 52-year old suspect was an employee at the hospital and the media reports he said he wanted to kill Vazquez because he disagreed with his policies. ¶2. (SBU) Reliable sources from the Ministry of Interior told Emboffs the suspect suffered from psychological problems, including alcohol dependency, and had an estranged relationship with his family as a result. They concluded that the suspect represented a minimal threat, but he would remain detained pending further investigation and psychological examinations. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: President Vazquez has been criticized in the past for the level and posture of his security detail, which received training in Cuba and Venezuela and is controlled by his brother, Jorge "El Perro" Vazquez, a convicted member of the OPR-33 guerilla movement that was active in the 1970's. The President's security is notably tighter than that of his predecessors, limiting public access in a country accustomed to leaders who mix freely with regular society. It is possible the GOU exaggerated the nature of this threat to the public, in part to deflect criticism from the President's heavy security. Matthewman