Guaido arrest causes stir

CARACAS: The president of the opposition-controlled but sidelined National Assembly was detained by Venezuelan intelligence agents for around an hour on Sunday, but President Nicolas Maduro’s government denied any knowledge of the operation. “We have learned that there was a situation in which a group of officials acting in a unilateral manner conducted an irregular procedure,” said Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez. He added that officers from the Sebin intelligence service “are being dismissed and subjected to a stricter disciplinary procedure” after having provoked a “media circus”. Following his release, Juan Guaido was met by hundreds of cheering supporters at the political rally he had been heading to when he was intercepted on a highway by armed and hooded men in two Venezuelan intelligence service vehicles, according to his wife. “So Maduro no longer controls the armed forces because the chain of command was broken,” Mr Guaido said. “Who is commanding the regime now? If they’re already admitting that they don’t control the state’s security agencies, there’s a serious problem at Miraflores,” he added.

AP Juan Guaido, president of National Assembly, shows marks on his wrists, which he says are from handcuffs, to supporters at a rally on Sunday.