Pro-government factions
mobilize thousands of Venezuelans onto the streets hoping to show the country remains united around President Nicolas Maduro after what authorities describe as a thwarted assassination attempt.
CARACAS, Venezuela — Pro-government factions mobilized thousands of Venezuelans dressed in red — the color of the ruling socialist party — onto the streets of the capital on Monday in a bid to show that the country remains united around President Nicolas Maduro after what the government described as a thwarted assassination attempt.
“This river of red,” Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza declared as the crowd waved flags and carried posters with Maduro’s image. “It could have been another red running through these streets.”
Authorities say they have now captured all those behind the attack that used two drones armed with explosives. The names of those detained have not been released, but chief prosecutor Tarek William Saab said the six people arrested could face charges including treason, attempted homicide and terrorism.
“They need to pay the penalty Venezuela’s law calls for,” Diosdado Cabello, a high-ranking party leader, told the crowd of thousands. “There won’t be any more forgiveness.”
Public employees are required to attend such progovernment rallies to ensure a strong show of support.
Yet, even as Venezuelan leaders sought to project a nation united behind Maduro, analysts warned the incident makes the already unpopular leader even more vulnerable as he struggles to reverse a crippling humanitarian and economic crisis considered worse than the Great Depression.
Diego Moya-Ocampos, a Venezuelan analyst with the London-based consulting firm IHS Markit, warned that Saturday’s failed attack could be a sign that low-level insurgent groups that have expressed their frustration by throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at the National Guard during protests are escalating to a more violent approach.
“This is a manifestation of institutions not being able to channel the political, economic and social crisis that Venezuela is going through,” he said.
Maduro was addressing hundreds of uniformed soldiers Saturday in a speech celebrating the 81st anniversary of the National Guard when an explosion pierced the air.
Authorities say two drones, each packed with about 2 pounds of explosive, were aimed at the stage where Maduro, his wife and a slate of the nation’s highest-ranking government leaders were gathered.
The military managed to knock one of the drones off-course electronically and the other craft crashed into an apartment building two blocks away.
Images captured on live television showed Maduro and his wife looking up at the sky as the explosion struck and then hundreds of soldiers scrambling from the scene, an image of panic in stark contrast to the one of power and control the government tries to project.
Saab said Monday that two suspects were detained quickly on Saturday after witnesses saw them operating one of the drones from a vehicle.
A little-known group calling itself Soldiers in T-shirts claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the drones were intended to target the president. “It was not successful today, but it is just a matter of time,” the group said in a tweet.
The authenticity of the message could not be independently verified, and the organization did not respond to a message seeking further comment.
The attack comes as Venezuela’s economy continues to hemorrhage and thousands flee to neighboring Colombia seeking food and medical care.
Ramon Duarte, a security worker at the march, said he believes Saturday’s attack will have the opposite effect of what the conspirators have intended: Serving to solidify support for the revolution.
“This revolution may have its errors,” he said. “But it needs to be supported.”