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