CHOPPER GRENADE ATTACK

VENEZUELA’S army has been put on alert after four grenades were hurled at the Supreme Court from a helicopter, President Nicolas Maduro said yesterday, in a potentially dramatic escalation of the violence gripping the oil-rich South American country.

The helicopter assault comes a day after Mr Maduro announced the arrests of five opponents he accused of plotting against him to clear the way for a US invasion.

The beleaguered president, who for weeks has been thundering about alleged coup attempts, said the helicopter was flown by a pilot who worked for a former minister.

Around 15 shots were fired at the Interior Ministry, Mr Maduro added. “I have activated the entire armed forces to defend the peace,” he said from the Miraflores presidential palace.

“Sooner or later, we are going to capture that helicopter and those that carried out this terror attack.” No one was hurt in the incident, he said.

The government identified the helicopter pilot as a former member of Venezuela’s main police force, known as the CICPC.

Mr Maduro called on the opposition MUD alliance to denounce the attack but one of its leaders, Freddy Guevara, tweeted there was not yet enough information to comment.

Guevara urged people to take part in anti-government rallies — the latest in nearly three months of daily streets protests that have left 76 people dead.

Photos circulating on social media showed a helicopter flying over Caracas with a banner that read “350 Freedom” — alluding to a constitutional clause invoked by the opposition to assert the government’s lack of legitimacy. The photos showed two people on the chopper, one with his face covered with a mask and the other with it visible.

Earlier Tuesday, Mr Maduro repeated claims of a USbacked coup attempt and angrily warned President Donald Trump that Venezuela would fight back against such a move.