La Paz, Bolivia - The Bolivian army's general commander, Juan José Zúñiga, was arrested following a failed coup attempt that featured dramatic scenes of armored vehicles occupying the square in front of the government palace in La Paz.

Zúñiga, who is believed to have led the attempt to storm the government palace, has been accused of terrorism and armed insurrection against the security and sovereignty of the state.

The public prosecutor's office had previously issued an arrest warrant and launched investigations into Zúñiga and fellow plotters.

Left-wing President Luis Arce dismissed the top general, replacing the entire leadership of the armed forces. The new army chiefs then ordered the withdrawal of troops from around the government palace in central La Paz.

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As the coup attempt unfolded, with a tank ramming the doors of the seat of government, Zúñiga addressed the media, saying: "Enough of the impoverishment of our homeland, enough of the humiliation of the military. We have come to express our displeasure."

Speaking to media representatives, he spoke of "attacks on democracy" without elaborating.

The attempt to topple the left-wing government was met with immediate resistance from the country's leadership.

"We denounce the irregular mobilizations by some units of the Bolivian Army," President Luis Arce wrote on X as events were unfolding. "Democracy must be respected."

Former Bolivian president Evo Morales, who was himself the subject of what has been described a coup with US involvement in 2019, also condemned the military's actions on the Murillo square, calling them a "planned coup d'état" in a post on X.

The failed coup came amid a falling out between Morales and Arce, his former economy minister, with the two currently embroiled in a power struggle for the leadership of their socialist MAS party ahead of elections scheduled for 2025.

Zúñiga claimed Arce had invited him to "take out the armored vehicles" and that the "the situation is looking very bad."

A government minister denied any such request had been made, and TV footage showed the president confronting the general, saying: "I am your captain, and I order you to withdraw your soldiers, and I will not allow this insubordination."

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Other South American leaders also condemned the military's actions.

Mexico's president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum called the unrest "an attack on democracy," while Chile's President Gabriel Boric expressed his country's support for "the legitimate government" led by Arce.