"The car in which I arrived has 14 bullet holes," said Morales at a radio station in the city of Cochabamba, in the coca leaf-growing region of Chapare. Morale then claimed a bullet passed "centimeters" from his head, before adding: "I don't know if they were soldiers or police." The attack wounded his driver but Morales was unhurt, he said.
Morales blamed the attack on current president Luis Arce, a former ally and cabinet minister. The Bolivian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Video footage purportedly of the shooting circulating online showed Morales' driver bleeding from the back of his head. In the cellphone video, the front windshield is cracked by at least two bullets and the rear windshield has been shattered.
Morales served as president from 2006 until 2019 and was highly popular until he tried to bypass the constitution to seek a fourth term. He was forced to resign after losing the support of the military, following an election marked by allegations of fraud.
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