VENEZUELA PREZ ESCAPES ‘BID ON LIFE’ BY DRONE
WHO’S RESPONSIBLE? Maduro points finger at ’farright’, govt blames oppn, rebel group claims attack
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said he was “more determined than ever” after he escaped an “assassination” attempt using an explosive-laden drone as he gave a speech during a Caracas military parade. The government said seven soldiers were wounded in the alleged attack Saturday, blamed on Colombia by Maduro and later claimed by a mysterious rebel group. “I am fine, I am alive, and after this attack I’m more determined than ever to follow the path of the revolution,” Maduro said defiantly of the incident, in he escaped unharmed.
CARACAS: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro dodged an apparent assassination attempt when drones armed with explosives detonated while he was delivering a speech to hundreds of soldiers being broadcast live on television, officials said.
Caught by surprise midspeech, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, looked up at the sky and winced on Saturday after hearing the sound of an explosion pierce the air. “This was an attempt to kill me,” he said later in an impassioned retelling of the events. “Today they attempted to assassinate me.”
Information minister Jorge Rodriguez said the incident took place as Maduro was celebrating the National Guard’s 81st anniversary. The visibly shaken head of state said he saw a “flying device” that exploded before his eyes. He thought it might be a pyrotechnics display in honour of the event.
Within seconds, Maduro said he heard a second explosion and pandemonium ensued. Bodyguards escorted Maduro out of the event and television footage showed uniformed soldiers standing in formation quickly scattering from the scene.
He said the “far right” working in coordination with detractors in Bogota and Miami, including Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, were responsible. Some of the “material authors” of the apparent attack have been detained. “The investigation will get to the bottom of this,” he said. “No matter who falls.”
Venezuela’s government routinely accuses opposition activists of plotting to attack and overthrow Maduro, an unpopular leader recently elected to a new term in office in a vote decried by dozens of nations. Maduro has steadily moved to concentrate power as the nation reels from a crippling economic crisis.
US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton told Fox News Sunday that he can state “unequivocally” that “there was no US government involvement in this at all.”
Venezuela attorney general Tarek William Saab said the attempted assassination targeted not only Maduro, but rather the military’s entire high command on stage with the president.
Prosecutors have already launched their investigation and obtained critical details from the suspects in custody, said Saab, adding that he would give more details on Monday.
Firefighters disputed the government’s version of events. Three local authorities said there had been a gas tank explosion inside an apartment where smoke could be seen streaming out of a window. They provided no further details on how they had reached that conclusion.
A Colombian official with the president’s office described Maduro’s claims that Santos was involved in the attack as baseless.
Adding to the confusion, a little known group calling itself Soldiers in T-shirts claimed responsibility, saying it planned to fly two drones loaded with explosives at the president, but government soldiers shot them down before reaching its target. “We showed that they are vulnerable,” the group said in a tweet. “It was not successful today, but it is just a matter of time.”