The now former president of Peru, Pedro Castillo , was going to the Mexican embassy in the San Isidro district, after giving his message to the nation and announcing the closure of the Andean country’s Congress, when his own escorts detained him, sources reported to El Comercio.
Aristegui Noticias.- While Pedro Castillo was trying to reach the Mexican embassy in Peru, the Congress of the Andean country dismissed the president for “permanent moral incapacity” with 101 of 130 votes in favor.
According to the Peruvian media El Comercio, Pedro Castillo left the Government Palace after 1:00 p.m. along with his former Prime Minister, Anibal Torres, and with his entourage of the State Security guard of the Peruvian National Police (PNP), that is, their escorts.
The now former president asked his driver to go to the Mexican embassy, while a meeting was simultaneously held at the PNP General Command .
El Comercio managed to gather information indicating that Pedro Castillo spoke with the general commander of the PNP, Raúl Alfaro, after giving his message to the nation, to seek support. Alfaro replied that he did not agree with what he had done and that his position was in favor of preserving the constitutional order.
Simultaneously, Willy Huerta, now former Minister of the Interior, called the chief of the PNP General Staff, Vicente Álvarez, who was in charge of the PNP headquarters replacing Alfaro -because he was given leave for medical reasons-, to authorize the entry of protesters to the Plaza de Armas because Castillo wanted to give a message. He did not get an affirmative answer either.
According to El Comercio sources, Alfaro summoned the PNP High Command to decide the institutional position against the coup that was being perpetrated. Álvarez and the general inspector of the PNP, Segundo Mejía, joined the position of not supporting the provisions of the then President and it was concluded that he was acting in flagrant (crime of rebellion) when ordering the closure of Congress.
The Peruvian authorities agreed to carry out the arrest of Castillo, since it was decided that those who were going to make the capture would be the State Security personnel, that is, his escort , who was with him at that moment. According to the sources, the fact was communicated to PNP General Iván Lizzetti, head of the State Security Directorate, who asked his staff for information on the location of the then president.
Meanwhile, the PNP Special Team was already contemplating the version of Castillo’s intention to seclude himself in an embassy. Colonels PNP Walter Lozano and Harvey Colchado decided to take action. As a precaution, Lozano and his team went to the Mexican Embassy and Colchado to the Cuban Embassy.
The two were determined to arrest Castillo because they knew he had committed the crime of rebellion in flagrante delicto, the sources say. In addition, they were aware that the now ex-president had removed his family from the Palace and everything indicated that what was sought was asylum or fleeing the country.
Moments later, the driver who was heading to the Mexican Embassy in the gray van with Pedro Castillo on board received the order to proceed with the arrest of the President, according to police sources.
To Castillo’s surprise, the van with tinted windows that was carrying him stopped in front of the International Clinic and, together with personnel from the Tactical Actions Subunit, the arrest was carried out and they proceeded to take him to the headquarters of the Lima Prefecture. where the headquarters of the Police Region of the capital is located.
Almost in parallel, the Secretary of Foreign Relations of Mexico, Marcelo Ebrard, said that Castillo did not request asylum in Mexico , although if he did, it would surely be granted.
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