Costa Rican police arrested a man in San Carlos on Friday after authorities said he allegedly made a death threat against President Laura Fernández during her visit to Crucitas in the northern mining area.
The suspect, identified by local media only by the surname Ordóñez, was detained in the Zona Norte after a complaint was filed with the Organismo de Investigación Judicial, Costa Rica’s judicial police. Authorities said the alleged threat appeared in a social media comment linked to Fernández’s official visit to Crucitas, a remote area of Cutris de San Carlos that has become one of the country’s most sensitive illegal gold mining flashpoints.
According to Costa Rican reports, the complaint was filed by Elder Monge, the head of the Fuerza Pública in San Carlos. Police said the comment appeared to encourage an attack against the president while she was in the region.
The arrest came hours after Fernández was rushed out of Crucitas when a loud sound, described by witnesses as similar to an explosion, interrupted her tour of the area. Security officers activated presidential protection protocols, moved the president into a vehicle and pulled back members of the delegation, including officials, lawmakers and reporters.
No attack against Fernández was reported. Authorities have not publicly established that the detained man was connected to the sound that forced the evacuation. The Ministry of Public Security said the suspect was placed under the control of judicial authorities and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, where he will face the corresponding legal process. The investigation remains open.
Fernández had traveled to Crucitas with lawmakers from several parties to inspect damage caused by years of illegal gold extraction. The government has made the area a political priority, arguing that illegal mining has fueled environmental destruction, insecurity and organized crime near the border with Nicaragua.
The visit was already controversial before yesterday’s security scare. Fernández has pushed lawmakers to address the situation in Crucitas, including through proposals that could allow regulated open-pit gold mining in the area. Environmental groups and opposition figures have warned that reviving mining in Crucitas would deepen the damage rather than solve the illegal extraction problem.
The case adds to a wider national concern over security in Costa Rica, particularly in remote border areas where illegal mining, organized crime and weak state presence have collided. Crucitas has become a test of the government’s ability to control environmental damage, protect communities and confront criminal networks operating far from urban centers.
