Venezuela arrests several people after assassination attempt on President
Venezuelan Interior Minister Nestor Reverol has just officially announced that the country has arrested 6 people after a failed assassination attempt on President Nicolas Maduro in the capital Caracas.
On August 4 (August 5, Vietnam time), President Maduro was suddenly attacked by many explosive-laden drones while he was speaking at the 81st anniversary of the founding of the National Defense Force in Caracas.
| Bodyguards used black bulletproof panels to shield President Maduro after loud explosions were heard near him. |
Mr. Maduro and the officials who attended the ceremony were unharmed. However, seven soldiers were injured in the incident. Mr. Maduro blamed Venezuelan far-right elements linked to outgoing Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, many of whom are based in the United States, for being behind the incident.
According to CNN, Venezuelan authorities have now arrested a total of 6 suspects. Meanwhile, RT newspaper quoted a statement from the National Association of Journalists of Venezuela saying that more than 10 members of the media were arrested by local police in connection with the assassination attempt on President Maduro.
The agency stressed that among them were a number of foreign reporters working for news agencies in Argentina, Spain and France.
Speaking on national television on August 5, Interior Minister Reverol said all of these people were charged with "terrorism and assassination".
One of the suspects was wanted for his role in an attack on a military base in Valencia in August 2017, Reverol added. Another suspect was arrested during anti-government protests in 2014. Venezuela’s interior minister said he did not rule out the possibility of further arrests.
Investigators determined that the plotters to assassinate President Maduro used two DJI M600 drones loaded with 1kg of C-4 explosives each. When detonated, they caused damage within a 50-meter radius.
Venezuelan secret services identified the drones as being dropped in areas near the military celebration. The plotters flew one drone close to the stage where the president was speaking, but government security forces detected it in time and detonated it outside the target location.
A second explosive-laden drone also lost control, crashed into a nearby building and exploded on the first floor.
A secret movement in Venezuela called the "Flannel Soldiers" has claimed responsibility for the incident. However, Venezuelan authorities have not commented or responded to this claim.
