Government handout photo shows Camacho at the headquarters of Special Forces for Fight against Crime in El Alto, Bolivia, following his arrest in Santa Cruz.
Bolivian police have detained a prominent opposition leader Luis Fernando Camacho on charges of "terrorism" in a move that significantly escalates tensions between the national government and Camacho's Santa Cruz base.
Camacho was detained on Wednesday as part of a case in which he is accused of leading what the government calls as a coup in 2019, the Chief Prosecutor's Office said.
An October arrest warrant accused Camacho of "terrorism" without giving more details.
Opposition leaders challenge the coup label, arguing those events were only protests that led to the resignation of then-president Evo Morales.
The governor's allies quickly took to the streets, blocking roads in Santa Cruz as well as a highway that joins the region with the rest of the country.
Earlier, Government Minister Carlos Eduardo del Castillo wrote on social media, "We inform the Bolivian people that police have fulfilled a detention order against Mr. Luis Fernando Camacho."
The governor's office, meanwhile, claimed Camacho had been "kidnapped in a completely irregular police operation."
It added in a statement: "The governor's whereabouts are unknown, so we hold President Luis Arce's government responsible for his physical safety."
After learning of Camacho's arrest, dozens of supporters flocked to Santa Cruz's two airports, shouting they would not allow his transfer to the administrative capital La Paz, and demanding his freedom.
Supporters of Luis Fernando Camacho stand on the runway to avoid departures of flights at the Viru Viru airport in Santa Cruz.
'Illegal kidnapping'
Camacho was under investigation on several charges, including for an alleged role in the resignation of leftist president Evo Morales in 2019, and for allegedly fanning protests in Santa Cruz this year.
Several opposition leaders also quickly spoke up against the detention, including former president Carlos Mesa, who called it a "violent and illegal kidnapping."
The Chief Prosecutor's Office denied the detention was anything of the sort or political persecution, saying it was done under an order issued in October and stemmed from proceedings that began in 2020 with the "full knowledge" of the governor.
Camacho has repeatedly denied all accusations against him, saying he is the victim of political persecution.
He has refused to undergo questioning by prosecutors, saying there is a lack of guarantees of fair treatment.
Martin Camacho, the governor's lawyer, told the local newspaper El Deber that his client was being taken to the capital of La Paz to answer questions in cases opened against him.
Police officers patrol as supporters of Luis Fernando Camacho protest his detention, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
Video posted on social media showed dozens of his supporters descending on two local airports to try to impede the governor's transfer, although it was unclear whether he was still there.
Camacho is the leader of the opposition alliance Creemos ("We Believe").
His role as head of the opposition was cemented in November, when he led the strike against the government.
The action pressed demands that a national census be carried out in 2023, which would likely give Santa Cruz more tax revenue and seats in Congress and, therefore, more influence in the country's political decisions.
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