Former Spanish Coup Leader Antonio Tejero Dies as Declassified Coup Documents Emerge
Antonio Tejero, the Spanish officer who led the failed 1981 coup attempt, has died at 93 on the same day the government declassified documents related to the botched overthrow of Spain's post-Franco democracy.
Antonio Tejero, the former Spanish officer who led an armed takeover of the country's parliament in a failed 1981 coup attempt, has died at the age of 93. Tejero's death coincides with the declassification of documents related to the murky plot to overthrow Spain's post-Franco democratic government.
Tejero was part of a network of rightwing police and military officers who sought to seize power, but their efforts were ultimately thwarted after King Juan Carlos refused to support the coup and ordered the generals to obey the democratic constitutional order. The details of the coup attempt and Tejero's role have long been the subject of intense scrutiny and speculation in Spain.
