The gang that allegedly plotted to kill Bolivian president Evo Morales was also behind a dynamite attack on the residence of Roman Catholic Cardinal Julio Terrazas last week, it has been claimed.

Bolivia has launched an investigation into the suspected militant group that police say was plotting to kill President Evo Morales, but the opposition slammed the probe as an "international show."

Three suspected mercenaries were killed in a shootout on Thursday in the anti-Morales stronghold of Santa Cruz after police moved to arrest a gang that officials say traveled from Ireland or Croatia to kill leading public figures in the Andean nation.

One of the three was believed to be a man from Co Tipperary. The Bolivian police have named him as Michael Martin Dwyer (24).

"The investigative work is now in the hands of prosecutors. I hope they do their work quickly so we can have clear and concrete information" about who was behind the conspiracy, police chief Victor Hugo Escobar told state television.

Interpol has offered to help Bolivia with the investigation. But opposition Senate chief Oscar Ortiz said investigators "should aim to find the truth, instead of helping the president stage an international show".

Mr Ortiz attacked Mr Morales for "playing the victim" and said the country's first indigenous leader was trying to disparage the eastern city of Santa Cruz because he lacked support there.

Mr Morales has accused right-wing politicians and business leaders in Santa Cruz of organizing violent protests there last year to try to destabilize his government.

On Thursday, he said the rightist opposition wanted to "riddle us with bullets," referring to himself and the vice president.

Government officials said the suspected conspirators had also targeted Santa Cruz Governor Ruben Costas, a fierce Morales' critic. They said the men were likely behind a dynamite attack on the residence of Roman Catholic Cardinal Julio Terrazas earlier this week. The cardinal was not home at the time.

"The terrorist group had a strategy and part of the strategy was to attack the cardinal ... and (take) other actions, not only against the president or vice president, but other authorities as well," deputy interior minister Marcos Farfan told the Erbol radio network.

Mr Farfan said the suspected plotters tried to blow up a navy boat on which Morales met with Cabinet ministers two weeks ago and aimed to trigger "a spiral of violence" in Bolivia.

The head of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, condemned the suspected assassination plot on Friday after meeting with Bolivia's foreign minister in Trinidad and Tobago, where Morales was attending the Summit of the Americas.

Pictures of Mr Dwyer taken from his Bebo site have emerged but the site has been subsequently set to private.

Gardaí and Department of Foreign Affairs officials are due to confirm to the Bolivian authorities that the Irishman was one of those killed.

Bolivian authorities have said the deceased’s Irish passport was found among his personal items after he and two of his associates were fatally wounded in what they said was a shoot-out with police in a hotel in the city of Santa Cruz on Thursday morning.

Two other suspects – accused of being part of a group of mercenaries hired to kill president Evo Morales – were arrested and taken in for questioning.

A member of the family of Michael Dwyer (25), from Ballinderry, near Borrisokane, Co Tipperary, confirmed last night that he had died in unexplained circumstances while travelling in Bolivia. The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that an Irishman had been involved in a “violent incident” in Bolivia.

An official from the Irish embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina was travelling to Bolivia to investigate the matter.

In a press conference in Venezuela where he is attending a regional summit, Mr Morales said Bolivia’s police had the group under surveillance since April 3rd and he gave the order to arrest them.

It is understood some of the group had been working in private security in the US. The two other men killed in the shoot-out were a Hungarian man and a Bolivian man with Croatian citizenship who had fought in the Balkan wars.

Mr Morales has accused right-wing politicians and business leaders in Santa Cruz of organizing violent protests there last year to try to destabilize his government. On Thursday, he said the rightist opposition wanted to "riddle us with bullets," referring to himself and the vice president.

Government officials said the suspected conspirators had also targeted Santa Cruz governor Ruben Costas, a fierce Morales' critic. They said the men were likely behind a dynamite attack on the residence of Roman Catholic Cardinal Julio Terrazas earlier this week. The cardinal was not home at the time.

"The terrorist group had a strategy and part of the strategy was to attack the cardinal ... and (take) other actions, not only against the president or vice president, but other authorities as well," deputy interior minister Marcos Farfan told the Erbol radio network.

Mr Farfan said the suspected plotters tried to blow up a navy boat on which Mr Morales met with Cabinet ministers two weeks ago and aimed to trigger "a spiral of violence" in Bolivia.