Venezuela’s Maduro blames far right for assassination attempt
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says authorities have captured some of those responsible for what he is calling an assassination attempt.
In an impassioned address to the nation, Maduro said some of the “material authors” of an attack with drones are now in custody.
He said far-right wing factions within Venezuela working in collaboration with conspirators in Bogota and Miami were responsible.
He did not provide the names of those detained or describe the charges they are facing.
Maduro added that some of those who financed the attack are in Miami and that he hoped President Trump is “willing to fight the terrorist groups.”
He promised a full investigation to hold all those responsible, “No matter who falls.”
Maduro said:
“This was an attempt to kill me. Today they attempted to assassinate me.”
He said evidence gathered thus far “points to the far right” working in conjunction with Colombians in the neighboring Andean nation.
Maduro said he believed Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was also responsible.
Colombian officials have not yet commented on the accusation.
Drones armed with explosives detonated near Maduro as he gave a speech to hundreds of soldiers in Caracas yesterday but the socialist leader was unharmed, according to the government.
Seven people were injured in the apparent attack, which came as Maduro celebrated the National Guard’s 81st anniversary, said Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez.
“At exactly 5:41 p.m. in the afternoon several explosions were heard,” Rodriguez said in a live address to the nation minutes after the incident. “The investigation clearly reveals they came from drone-like devices that carried explosives.”
But firefighters at the scene of the blast disputed the government’s version of events.
Three local authorities who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case said the incident was actually a gas tank explosion inside an apartment near the site of Maduro’s speech.
Smoke could be seen coming out a building window.
Adding to the confusion, a previously unknown 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.