Argentine political consultant, linked to Milei, arrested in alleged assassination plot

Fernando Cerimedo, a political consultant credited with devising the "chainsaw" strategy for Argentine President Javier Milei, has been arrested in Bolivia amid allegations of orchestrating an assassination attempt. Cerimedo, widely regarded as a key strategist for right-wing movements across Latin America, was detained at Viru Viru International Airport carrying a large sum of U.S. dollars.

The arrest follows an attack on Nadia Beller, a prominent lawyer and activist, who was shot multiple times outside a luxury hotel in Santa Cruz. Beller survived the assassination attempt and, in interviews given shortly after the incident, accused Cerimedo of ordering the hit. She claims the motive was her revelation that she was pregnant with his child.

Beller also detailed alleged financial dealings, stating Cerimedo profited substantially from state contracts in Bolivia, particularly in the oil, gas, and gold sectors, reportedly earning up to $800,000 per month. She suggested these operations were facilitated by close ties to the administration of then-President Rodrigo Paz, who had recently ended over two decades of socialist rule.

Cerimedo's lawyer has vehemently denied Beller's accusations, proposing instead that Beller staged the attack herself to destabilize President Paz's government. This counter-narrative has been amplified across social media networks, particularly within Argentina's right-wing circles. Cerimedo himself was honored as "Latin America's Political Consultant of the Year" at a gala in Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence earlier this year, where he thanked Trump's campaign manager, Brad Parscale.

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He conceived of Milei's "chainsaw": Political consultant Fernando Cerimedo was considered a key figure in Latin America's right-wing wave until last week. Now he is suspected of ordering an assassination attempt on a prominent lawyer.