Fernando Cerimedo, a 42-year-old Argentine political consultant who advised several of Latin America's right-wing leaders, was arrested in Bolivia on Tuesday on suspicion of orchestrating a gun attack on Nadia Beller, a 33-year-old Bolivian lawyer who survived being shot three times outside a hotel in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia's largest city.
The attack took place on Monday night in the city's business district. Surveillance footage showed two men dressed as food delivery riders arriving on a motorcycle, opening fire on Beller at the hotel entrance, taking her bag and phone, and fleeing. Beller, who is four weeks pregnant, underwent surgery and survived — none of the rounds struck vital organs. From her hospital bed, she said she had been lured to the location through anonymous messages promising evidence of alleged crimes by Bolivia's former left-wing president Evo Morales, who faces outstanding arrest warrants. She said she feigned death to avoid being shot again and accused Cerimedo of having attempted to strangle her on two previous occasions since their relationship began in late 2025. She also said she holds knowledge of alleged corruption within President Rodrigo Paz's inner circle. No charges have been brought over any of these separate allegations.
Cerimedo was detained in the early hours of Tuesday at Viru Viru international airport in Santa Cruz de la Sierra before boarding a flight reportedly bound for Buenos Aires. Police said they had tracked his movements and deployed officers to the airport. His lawyer denied he was fleeing the country, saying he had travelled specifically to visit Beller in hospital. Investigators are pursuing several lines of inquiry, including a reported personal dispute between the two in the days before the attack, and the case is being investigated as attempted femicide. Cerimedo has not been formally charged and his involvement has not been established.
Cerimedo is a prominent figure in the network of right-wing political movements across Latin America, widely described as a key strategist linked to the Make America Great Again movement in the region. He played a significant role in Javier Milei's successful 2023 Argentine presidential campaign — reportedly suggesting the now-president's signature chainsaw prop at rallies — and advised Bolivia's Paz during his own campaign. He also co-founded the digital outlet La Derecha Diario and worked for former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, and was previously investigated by Brazilian courts for spreading fraud claims following Brazil's 2022 election. Prosecutors cleared him after concluding there was insufficient evidence he knew the material he broadcast was fabricated. A Bolivian government spokesperson confirmed Cerimedo had served as Paz's "personal consultant" but held no official government post.
The case has drawn sharp political responses. Bolivia's vice president described the attack as a threat to "life, democracy, and freedom of expression," while the government minister called for a thorough investigation, stating that "nobody is above the law." Beller, who once stood as a candidate for the left-wing Movement Towards Socialism and more recently worked as a political analyst critical of that party, said she chose to speak publicly because she feared another attempt on her life if she remained silent. The incident has cast an uncomfortable spotlight on the informal networks of foreign consultants shaping political agendas across the region.