LA PAZ, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Bolivian police on Tuesday detained Argentine consultant Fernando Cerimedo, an adviser to President Rodrigo Paz, as a suspect in the shooting of political commentator Nadia Bellerthe night before.
Cerimedo, a key digital strategist in Argentine President Javier Milei's election campaign, was arrested before dawn at the Santa Cruz airport as he was preparing to fly to Buenos Aires, authorities said.
The consultant, who has also been linked to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, was later taken to the offices of Bolivia's anti-crime police unit.
Santa Cruz police commander David Gomez told reporters that authorities were "determining whether he had any involvement" in the shooting.
"We are working with several hypotheses; the first is that Ms. Nadia Beller had experienced some sort of romantic issue with Mr. Fernando Cerimedo," he said.
Beller, a political analyst and columnist who emerged as a vocal critic of former President Evo Morales, was shot three times at a hotel and taken to a medical center. Authorities have not released details on her condition.
Local media has described Belleras Cerimedo's former partner. In July, Cerimedo said on X that he was being wrongfully accused on the internet of domestic violence. He did not specify who the accusations involved.
The attackers reportedly arrived at the hotel dressed as food delivery drivers and fled on a motorcycle.
Cerimedo had already become a political flashpoint in Bolivia before the shooting. In May, the vice presidency accused him of interfering in the country's internal affairs over a social media post, an allegation he denied.
(Reporting by Daniel Ramos; Editing by Kylie Madry and Rod Nickel)
