Venezuela says it stopped military revolt at fort

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan authorities said armed forces put down an early morning attack Sunday by a group opposed to President Nicolas Maduro that tried to take over Fort Paramacay in Valencia.

Two were killed and seven were arrested in the clash, authorities said.

There were no signs that the revolt, which government officials described as a “terrorist attack,” had spread to other bases across the country. Several army units were deployed in Caracas, the capital, and in other cities as a security measure.

Some of those involved in the uprising were apparently able to take control of an arsenal at the fort before fleeing the scene, according to local media.

Security forces looked for an undisclosed number of people who fled the fort. Details of the conflict could not be independently determined.

The day before, Maduro’s government convened a controversial assembly to rewrite the nation’s constitution. Critics claim Maduro acted illegally because the body did not receive public authorization.

Venezuela has been shaken by four months of protests over food scarcities, violence and Maduro’s autocratic governing style. The death toll from clashes between protesters and authorities since late March stands at 130, and thousands have been injured or arrested.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Soldiers stop a vehicle, whose passengers kneel on the ground outside the car, as they detain the two passengers who were circulating on the Paramacay military base in Valencia, Venezuela, on Sunday. According to the government earlier in the day, troops quickly put down an attack at the army base clashing with a group that said it was out to “re-establish the constitutional order.”