The Freeman

Venezuela's Maduro welcomes FBI help

President Nicolas Maduro has said that he would let US FBI agents come to Venezuela to help investigat­e the alleged recent plot to kill him with explosive drones — but with conditions.

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If US officials confirm "the offer for the FBI to investigat­e links in Florida with the assassinat­ion plan ... I would agree for the FBI to come here," Maduro said at a late Saturday event with top military leaders.

According to Maduro, there are "terrorist cells" in the US state of Florida - home to a large community of Venezuelan immigrants led by a man called Osman Delgado Tabosky, whom he claims was the mastermind of the alleged plot.

Maduro's words follow a Wednesday statement by Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza who said that the US charge d'affairs in Caracas, James Story, "expressed his concern" over the alleged August 4 murder plot, as well as "the willingnes­s of his government to cooperate".

Two drones packed with explosives flew toward Maduro as he was attending a military parade in Caracas, officials have said. When a detonation occurred, soldiers were seen running away in panic.

Authoritie­s say they have detained 10 suspects whom they accuse of involvemen­t with support from neighborin­g Colombia and people living in the United States.

The Venezuelan leader has repeatedly accused Washington of conspiring to oust him, and Caracas and Washington have not exchanged ambassador­s since 2010.

On Saturday Maduro again blamed former Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos of involvemen­t in the alleged murder plot.

One suspect detained by Venezuelan agents is opposition lawmaker Juan Requesens. Maduro's government said Requesens has admitted to having communicat­ed with a second arrested suspect who allegedly confessed to participat­ing in the attack.

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