SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) 鈥� El Salvador said authorities have broken up a plot to plant bombs around the country to coincide with .
The country鈥檚 National Police said the plot involved 鈥渧eterans鈥� of the country鈥檚 1980-1992 civil war, an apparent reference to .
Police posted photos of small cylinders of explosives with fuses and sacks of ammonium nitrate on the force鈥檚 social media accounts. It said the explosives had been seized in raids, and that the plot supposedly was going to target gasoline stations, supermarkets and government buildings.
It said some of the explosives were found in a raid on a former rebel stronghold, Guazapa, on the outskirts of San Salvador, the capital.
Police blamed a shadowy force it called the 鈥淪alvadoran Insurrection Brigade鈥� for the plot, and former congressman Jos茅 Santos Melara of the leftist FMLN party 鈥� formed by former guerrillas 鈥� had been detained and was 鈥渢he one who financed these plans.鈥�
Melara is the leader of the national association of FMLN Veterans of the war. At least seven other suspects were also detained.
The Block of Popular Resistance and Rebellion 鈥� known as the BPR for its initials in Spanish 鈥� issued a statement saying Melara鈥檚 arrest 鈥渋s arbitrary and is an act of political persecution.鈥�
The group demanded his release, and said 鈥渨e do not recognize the unconstitutional and illegitimate president who will take office on June 1.鈥� It said it would 鈥渟tart an new stage of struggle in the face of Bukele鈥檚 imposition as president.鈥�
In February, the highly popular Bukele easily won a second term in his country鈥檚 presidential elections, despite the country鈥檚 constitution prohibiting reelection.
He has sparked criticism for but the supposed bomb plot may have involved the terms of the 1992 peace accords that ended the civil war and guaranteed former rebels a place in politics.
Bukele has made some moves that critics say endanger the Central American nation鈥檚 fragile democracy, which was restored after the brutal civil war.
In addition to going after critics and locking up 1% of his country鈥檚 population in his gang crackdown, the leader last year also approved reforms slashing the number of seats in Congress, effectively weighting upcoming elections in his party鈥檚 favor.
While it has involved allegations of abuse and unjust imprisonment, the gang crackdown has made Bukele popular; the country鈥檚 street gangs once essentially ruled many neighborhoods with brutality, killing and extorting money from almost everyone.
Bukele not only won reelection. His party also won a super majority in Congress, effectively allowing him to rule with few checks on his power.
The Associated Press
