Activist in Costa Rica denies plotting to assassinate the president

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SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica (AP) — A Costa Rican activist and government critic accused of plotting to kill President Rodrigo Chaves said Wednesday that the allegations were ridiculous and politically motivated.

Chaves appeared Wednesday with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele at a groundbreaking for a new prison styled after El Salvador's infamous gang prison.

Costa Rica's national security chief Jorge Torres had told prosecutors Tuesday that a hitman allegedly received a payment to assassinate the president, but details of the case were not publicly revealed at the time.

Hours later, local media published screenshots of messages Torres included in his complaint against activist Stella Chinchilla supposedly showing her complaining to alleged hitmen that they hadn't done their job.

Chinchilla, vice president of the human rights advocacy group Friends for Peace Center, said in an interview with The Associated Press that she appeared Wednesday before the Public Ministry to hear details of the case. She confirmed that the screenshots were part of the case, but said they were fake and that she was being targeted because of her criticism of Chaves’ administration on social media.

“I have not written a single comma of what is there," Chinchilla said. “Morally, I would not order the killing of this president; he has to leave on his own feet, from the government and the country, because he has done too much damage.”

She said that media outlets aligned with Chaves had access to the alleged evidence before it had even been received by prosecutors, and that the accusations were part of broader government harassment.

The president’s office said on Tuesday night hat his security had been reinforced.

“This is not a minor warning, nor speculation; it is a serious threat to the country’s democratic stability,” said Jeffrey Cerdas, head of presidential security.

The accusation came as Chaves hosted Bukele, who has gained fame and notoriety abroad, and popularity in his country, for his heavy-handed crackdown on criminal gangs.

The two leaders attended the groundbreaking Wednesday of a new prison modeled on Bukele’s mega-prison built for alleged gang members. Chaves has sent Costa Rican officials to El Salvador to learn more about how to emulate Bukele’s style of law enforcement.

“We had a failed state,” Bukele said Wednesday. “When we arrived we had to change everything, courts, judges, prosecutors, laws, Congress, in the elections, of course."

Bukele said the gang prison he built was a “pillar” of the fight against crime. He said El Salvador's other prisons had become training grounds for criminals. He applauded Chaves for following his example and Chaves thanked him for sharing his prison's design.

“If criminality grows, more Costa Ricans will die, but not just that will happen,” Bukele said. “They way of life will change ... tourism will disappear and all of the foreign currency that comes with it. Tourists are not going to come to country where they kill you for crossing the street.”

Costa Rica is experiencing a serious security crisis attributed to drug trafficking gangs that have led historic high homicide rates. The year 2025 ended with 877 homicides, just three fewer than in 2024, while 2023 recorded the highest figure with 907 killings.