Otago Daily Times

Chopper attacks Venezuela court

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CARACAS: A Venezuelan police helicopter strafed the Supreme Court and a government ministry yesterday, escalating the Opec nation’s political crisis in what President Nicolas Maduro called an attack by ‘‘terrorists’’ seeking a coup.

The aircraft fired 15 shots at the Interior Ministry, where scores of people were at a social event, and dropped four grenades on the court, where judges were meeting, officials said.

However, there were no reports of injuries.

‘‘Sooner rather than later, we are going to capture the helicopter and those behind this armed terrorist attack against the institutio­ns of the country,’’ Maduro said.

‘‘They could have caused dozens of deaths,’’ he said.

The 54yearold socialist leader has faced three months of protests from opposition leaders who decry him as a dictator who has wrecked a onceprospe­rous economy. There has also been growing dissent from within government and the security forces.

At least 75 people have died, and hundreds more injured or arrested, in the antigovern­ment unrest since April.

Demonstrat­ors are demanding general elections, measures to alleviate a brutal economic crisis, freedom for hundreds of jailed opposition activists, and independen­ce for the opposition­controlled National Assembly legislatur­e.

Maduro says they are seeking a coup against him with the encouragem­ent of a United States Government eager to gain control of Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world.

Venezuela’s Government said in a communique the helicopter was stolen by investigat­ive police pilot Oscar Perez, who declared himself in rebellion against

Maduro.

Images shared on social and local media appear to show Perez waving a banner from the helicopter reading ‘‘Liberty’’, and the number ‘‘350’’ in large letters.

The number refers to the con stitutiona­l article allowing people the right to oppose an undemocrat­ic government.

A video posted on Perez’s Instagram account showed him standing in front of several hooded armed men, saying an operation was under way to restore democracy.

Perez said in the video he represente­d a coalition of military, police and civilian officials opposed to the ‘‘criminal’’ government, urged Maduro’s resignatio­n and called for general elections. ‘‘This fight is . . . against the vile Government. Against tyranny,’’ he said.

Yesterday, witnesses reported hearing several detonation­s in downtown Caracas, where the proMaduro Supreme Court, the presidenti­al palace and other key government buildings are.

Opponents of Maduro view the Interior Ministry as a bastion of repression and hate the Supreme Court for its string of rulings bolstering the president’s power and underminin­g the opposition­controlled legislatur­e.

Opposition leaders have long been calling on Venezuela’s security forces to stop obeying Maduro.

Earlier yesterday, Maduro warned that he and supporters would take up arms if his socialist Government was violently overthrown by opponents.

‘‘If Venezuela was plunged into chaos and violence and the Bolivarian Revolution destroyed, we would go to combat. We would never give up, and what couldn’t be done with votes, we would do with arms; we would liberate the fatherland with arms,’’ he said. — Reuters

 ?? PHOTO: @OSCARPEREZ­GV INSTAGRAM/REUTERS ?? Rebellion . . . Venezuelan investigat­ive police pilot Oscar Perez reads a statement from an undisclose­d location yesterday in this still image taken from a video.
PHOTO: @OSCARPEREZ­GV INSTAGRAM/REUTERS Rebellion . . . Venezuelan investigat­ive police pilot Oscar Perez reads a statement from an undisclose­d location yesterday in this still image taken from a video.

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