CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan security forces prevented opposition lawmakers from entering the parliament building for a session on Tuesday, a week after the top court stripped several lawmakers of their immunity amid a political crisis in the South American country.

Members of the Sebin intelligence service, wearing masks and carrying long guns, together with members of the national police and the military blocked the entrance and were investigating the possible presence of an explosive device inside the National Assembly building, lawmakers said.

Last week, one opposition lawmaker was arrested and several took refuge in foreign embassies in Caracas or fled the country as President Nicolas Maduro cracked down on allies of opposition leader Juan Guaido, following a failed effort to convince members of the military to rise up against Maduro in late April.

Guaido, the leader of the opposition-controlled Assembly, in January invoked Venezuela’s constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate. More than 50 countries have recognised him as the country’s rightful leader, and say the assembly is its last remaining democratic institution.

“This is all part of a show to prevent the National Assembly from functioning,” lawmaker Juan Pablo Guanipa told Reuters. “This is a dictatorship that goes after dissidents, and we are fighting for a political change.”

Venezuela’s information ministry, which handles media inquiries on behalf of the government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Maduro, a socialist, calls Guaido a puppet of the United States seeking to oust him in a coup.

The government stripped the assembly of most of its powers after the opposition won a majority in 2015 elections. Lawmakers loyal to Maduro generally do not attend the sessions, but go to meetings of the constituent assembly, a legislative “superbody” created in 2017 that meets in the same building on Wednesdays.

The “superbody” is an all-powerful legislature controlled by the ruling Socialist Party and whose powers supersede those of the National Assembly.

Tuesday’s session was scheduled for 10 a.m. (1400 GMT), but never began. The lawmakers were set to discuss the Supreme Court’s stripping of several of their colleagues’ parliamentary immunity and the arrest of Edgar Zambrano, the Assembly’s vice president and an outspoken critic of Maduro.

Opposition lawmaker Jorge Millan told reporters the report of “bombs” in the building was false.

“It is a trick to prevent the parliament from functioning today,” he said. “If we do not have a session today, we will do it tomorrow.”

(Reporting by Mayela Armas and Corina Pons; Writing by Luc Cohen; Editing by Phil Berlowitz) </s> • Venezuelan intelligence agents arrested the vice president of the opposition-led national assembly on Wednesday.
• Authorities attempted to detain Edgar Zambrano as he drove out of the opposition party headquarters, but he refused to leave his car.
• His car was then towed directly into a Caracas prison with him still inside.
• The detention is part of a larger crackdown on opposition leaders who participated in last week’s failed military uprising.

Venezuelan authorities arrested the vice president of the opposition-led national assembly on Wednesday – the first detention of a major opposition figure since last week’s failed military uprising against President Nicolás Maduro.

Edgar Zambrano was leaving his party’s headquarters in Caracas when agents from the SEBIN intelligence agency stopped his car, the politician tweeted. After he refused to leave his vehicle, security forces towed him to the infamous Helicoide prison.

“We democrats will keep fighting,” he said on Twitter.

Zambrano was among the high profile leaders who joined an attempted revolt against the socialist government last Tuesday, The Associated Press reported. He went to the Caracas bridge where opposition leader Juan Guaidó was calling for military defections, and thanked the small group of rebel soldiers who had changed allegiances.

The protest failed to spark any large scale defections.

Read more: Protestors clash with the regime as the opposition struggles to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

Maduro ally Diosdado Cabello confirmed on state television that Zambrano was arrested because of his involvement in the uprising.

“He was one of the principal bosses behind the coup,” Cabello said to loud applause. “The tow truck got him.”

Guaidó accused Maduro’s government of “kidnapping” his deputy, and undermining the people who voted opposition lawmakers into the national assembly. Guaidó and his supporters believe elections for other government bodies were rigged.

“With these actions, the usurpers want to affect the only democratic institution legitimized by the popular vote,” Guaidó tweeted.

The US State Department said Zambrano’s detention was “illegal and inexcusable.”

“If he is not freed immediately, there will be consequences,” the American embassy in Venezuela tweeted.

Wednesday’s arrest is part of a larger crackdown in response to the unsuccessful revolt.

The Constituent Assembly, stacked with Maduro loyalists, had already revoked parliamentary immunity from Zambrano and six other lawmakers so they could be prosecuted, The Guardian reported. The opposition does not recognize the decision.

The Maduro government also said it was investigating Zambrano and eight other opposition leaders for “betraying the homeland” and “instigating insurrection,” according to the AP.

Guaidó believes he hasn’t been arrested yet because Maduro fears retaliation.

“Because they’re scared. Those that try to spread or generate a perception of control are the ones that don’t have it,” Guaidó told CNN.

The US, Guaidó’s most important international backer, has already threatened military intervention in Venezuela if other avenues for Maduro’s removal do not succeed. </s> Venezuelan intelligence agents on Wednesday detained Edgar Zambrano, the deputy leader of the opposition-dominated National Assembly, for supporting an attempted uprising on April 30.

Zambrano, opposition leader and self-declared President Juan Guaido's deputy as National Assembly speaker, was detained by agents in Caracas for backing the failed April 30 military uprising against President Nicolas Maduro, which was orchestrated by Guaido.

"We warn the people of Venezuela and the international community: the regime has kidnapped the first vice president" of the National Assembly, Guaido wrote in a Twitter post. "They are trying to destroy the power representing all Venezuelans, but they will not achieve it."

The Constituent Assembly has said it would suspend the immunity of any lawmakers who backed the uprising, which sparked two days of clashes between security forces and protesters.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab says the clashes left six people dead. Dozens more were injured and more than 233 were arrested.

Read more: Venezuela: Coup or uprising? It depends on who you support

Watch video 05:22 Share Venezuela's Guaido calls for uprising Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3Hk6G Venezuela's Guaido calls for uprising

Towed to prison

Party head Carlos Prosperi said security forces towed Zambrano's car away while the lawmaker still inside.

Zambrano's exact whereabouts were unknown, but he tweeted that at 6:35 p.m. (2235 UTC) he left his party's headquarters and his car was surrounded by intelligence officers.

He wrote that he refused to leave the vehicle, which was subsequently towed with him inside it to the Helicoide, a government building in Caracas used for holding prisoners.

Opposition lawmakers under investigation

In a separate case, Venezuela's Supreme Court indicted three more lawmakers for supporting Guaido's uprising.

The three lawmakers — named as Freddy Superlano, Sergio Vergara and Juan Andres Mejia — have been accused of high treason and conspiracy.

Their arrests come after a court announced the indictment of seven others on Tuesday.

Guaido, who is recognized as Venezuela's interim president by more than 50 countries, was also stripped of his immunity on April 2.

In response to the first indictments on Tuesday, Guaido said in a speech that the government's "only response ... is to persecute, because they no longer govern, because they no longer have command."

Watch video 01:53 Share Venezuela's Lopez speaks out Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3Hr88 Venezuelan opposition activist speaks out against Maduro

law/sms (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </s> A Venezuelan opposition lawmaker sought refuge in Argentina's embassy in Caracas Thursday, hours after the detention of a key figure in the movement over last week's failed uprising against President Nicolas Maduro.

Richard Blanco is one of 10 National Assembly members charged with treason for supporting opposition leader Juan Guaido's call for a military revolt on April 30.

"I've come here to sleep because my life is in danger," Blanco told the VPI television station, adding that we would stay only "temporarily."

Blanco sought sanctuary after Edgar Zambrano, the vice-president of Venezuela's opposition-controlled parliament, was seized by intelligence agents on Wednesday night.

The 64-year-old's car was surrounded outside his Democratic Action Party's headquarters before it was towed, with him still in it, to the notorious Helicoide prison.

He narrated the drama in real time on Twitter, while images of the incident also circulated on social media.

"Democrats, keep up the fight!" tweeted Zambrano.

Another lawmaker, Mariela Magallanes, had escaped to the Italian embassy, Rome announced on Wednesday.

Zambrano is deputy to National Assembly speaker Guaido, who organized the April 30 revolt by around 30 members of the armed forces, many of whom subsequently fled to the Brazilian embassy.

Venezuela was plunged into turmoil in January when Guaido declared himself acting president in a direct challenge to Maduro's authority.

He has since been recognized as interim president by more than 50 countries as he steps up the pressure to oust Maduro, whom he considers illegitimate after 2018 elections widely seen as fraudulent.

But the socialist leader remains steadfast, backed by Venezuela's powerful military high command.

"We warn the people of Venezuela and the international community: the regime has kidnapped the first vice-president" of the National Assembly, said Guaido.

"They are trying to destroy the power representing all Venezuelans, but they will not achieve it," Guaido said.

The United States, European Union and several Latin American states criticized Zambrano's arrest.

On the Twitter account of its now-closed embassy in Caracas, Washington called the detention "illegal and inexcusable," warning of "consequences" if he is not immediately released.

US President Donald Trump -- whose government was among the first to back Guaido -- said he was "discussing the terrible abuses by Maduro."

Trump did not mention Zambrano but said the US would stand with the people of Venezuela "for however long it takes."

The EU and several of Venezuela's neighbors protested Zambrano's arrest while the country's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza vowed to bring to justice "accomplices to an unconstitutional military uprising,

Venezuela's Supreme Court meanwhile added three more lawmakers to the seven already indicted for treason and conspiracy over their backing of Guaido's uprising.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab says the two days of clashes that followed left six people dead.

The Constituent Assembly, which Maduro created to sideline the National Assembly, has said it would suspend the immunity of any lawmakers who backed the uprising.

Guaido said in a speech after the first indictments on Tuesday that the government's "only response... is to persecute, because they no longer govern, because they no longer have command."

Venezuela has suffered five years of recession that has seen more than 2.7 million people flee poverty, hyperinflation, food shortages and insecurity since 2015, according to United Nations figures. </s> Senior Opposition Leader Allied With Guaidó Is Arrested In Venezuela

The vice president of Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly was arrested by intelligence agents Wednesday night in Caracas. The U.S. government warns that there will be consequences if he isn't released.

Edgar Zambrano was in his car when he was surrounded by SEBIN intelligence agents. When he refused to leave car, agents used a truck to tow it with Zambrano inside to the SEBIN headquarters. The incident was tweeted by Zambrano as it happened.

Neighbors watching shouted "Assassins!" as the agents towed him away, The Associated Press reports. The arrest came as President Nicolás Maduro was on live state television at the opening of an agricultural project.

Zambrano's detention is the first arrest of a lawmaker since the unsuccessful attempt last week by opposition leader Juan Guaidó to stage an uprising against Maduro's government. The government accuses Zambrano of being involved in that attempted uprising, NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

On state television, Diosdado Cabello, the head of the pro-Maduro Constituent Assembly, said that "one of the principal conspirators of the coup" had just been arrested. "They will have to pay before the courts for the failed coup that they attempted," he said, according to Reuters.

A day earlier, Constituent Assembly stripped Zambrano and six others of their parliamentary immunity – a move the opposition doesn't recognize, Reuters reports.

Guaidó tweeted that "the dictatorship has kidnapped" the assembly's vice president. "They've arrived at the absurd by towing his car with him inside, violating all the processes and displaying the authoritarianism to which they adhere."

Tensions are high after last week's attempted uprising failed to remove Maduro. So far, Maduro has held back from arresting Guaidó himself, as it would stir an international backlash. The U.S. quickly expressed its disapproval of Zambrano's arrest.

"The arbitrary detention of deputy @edgarzambranoad by the oppressive security forces of Maduro in Venezuela is illegal and inexcusable," The U.S. Embassy in Venezuela tweeted. "Maduro and his accomplices are directly responsible for Zambrano's safety. If he is not released immediately, there will be consequences."

The Constituent Assembly stripped Guaidó's immunity in early April. The U.S. recognizes Guaidó, the head of the National Assembly, as the country's legitimate interim leader, and the Trump administration has made clear that his arrest would mark a serious escalation. </s> Caracas, Venezuela -- Security forces arrested the No. 2 leader of Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress Wednesday as President Nicolás Maduro's government began going after foes tied to a failed attempt to stir up a military uprising last week. National Assembly Vice President Edgar Zambrano was leaving his Democratic Action party's headquarters when he was surprised by a commando unit from the feared SEBIN intelligence agency that surrounded his car.

A half hour later, the officers towed the vehicle away with the lawmaker still inside. At the same time, Maduro was speaking live on state TV inaugurating an agricultural project. Neighbors looking on shouted "assassins" as the heavily armed agents pulled away.

"We democrats we will keep fighting!" Zambrano tweeted as he was hauled off.

The arrest was the first following the opposition's fizzled uprising that started early on April 30 outside a Caracas air base. It was led by Juan Guaidó, head of the National Assembly who is leading the U.S.-backed effort to end what he calls Maduro's dictatorship.
• None Venezuelans suffer and starve as political crisis drags on

Zambrano, 63, was one of the first opposition leaders to answer Guaido's call for an insurrection, going to the bridge in Caracas where the opposition leader had appeared at dawn with a small cadre of soldiers ready to rebel against Maduro.

On the highway overpass, Zambrano embraced popular opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who broke house arrest to take part. Zambrano also thanked the handful of rebel National Guardsmen, who wore blue armbands as symbols of their allegiance to Guaidó's movement.

A lawyer by training, Zambrano is seen as a conciliatory figure within the opposition who is close to Henry Ramos, the former head of congress who has been accused of taking part in an earlier alleged conspiracy to oust Maduro. He took up his role as Guaido's deputy as part of a power-sharing arrangement among the biggest parties.

Government officials had announced that Zambrano and eight other opposition lawmakers faced investigation on charges of "betraying the homeland" and "instigating an insurrection," for their roles in last week's unrest.

Two hours before his arrest, Zambrano had told The Associated Press in a phone interview that he was not going to hide because "I have not committed any crime."

Government supporters have been pushing Maduro to order arrests in the aftermath of the failed uprising, which is the closest the opposition has ever come to ousting the president. But analysts say there are limits to how far Maduro can crack down, and that any attempt to arrest Guaidó risks inviting a strong response from the U.S., which has warned of "grave consequences" should the opposition leader be harmed.

Earlier Wednesday, Maduro and the head of Venezuela's top court rejected a U.S. threat to apply sanctions to all its judges. They accused the Trump administration of trying to manipulate the crisis-wracked nation's justice system and foment a coup.

Maikel Moreno, president of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, pushed back at comments by Vice President Mike Pence, who said the U.S. would extend sanctions to all members of the Venezuelan high court if they continued to be a "political tool" of Maduro.

"This unlawful, despicable and intolerable action violates the norms and principles of international law that govern relations between civilized nations," Moreno, a political ally of the Maduro, said in a nationally broadcast TV appearance. Moreno already faces U.S. sanctions.

There is little sign that tension will break between Maduro and Guaidó, who is backed by the United States and more than 50 other nations.

Guaidó on Wednesday took to the streets of at least two coastal communities outside the capital, pushing to keep up the opposition's rejuvenated momentum. He met with supporters in his hometown of La Guaira and surrounding communities, where he was greeted by cheers, hugs and fist bumps.

More than 3 million Venezuelans have left their homeland in recent years amid skyrocketing inflation and severe shortages of food and medicine. Pence and other Trump administration officials blame Maduro's socialist policies and government mismanagement for Venezuela's economic crunch, warning that 2 million more people are expected to flee by the end of the year if the crisis continues.

The U.S. lifted sanctions on a top Venezuelan general who broke ranks with Maduro last week. Pence said the immediate lifting of financial sanctions for Gen. Manuel Figuera, who was Venezuela's spy chief, is intended to encourage others in the military to abandon their support for Maduro.

Figuera was the sole regime insider to defy Maduro during the uprising, although the White House contends several others, including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, had been in talks for weeks with the opposition to oust Maduro but backed away from the plan at the last minute.

On Wednesday, Maduro discharged Figuera from service along with 55 other soldiers accused of taking part in Guaido's uprising.

Among them was National Guard Lt. Col. Illich Sanchez, who oversaw protection to the opposition-controlled National Assembly and accompanied Guaidó during the uprising last week.

Maduro has fallen under increasing international pressure since winning a second six-year term in an election last May that critics say was rigged. Russia, China and Cuba, among other countries, support Maduro.

Maduro says he is the target of a U.S.-engineered coup plot. He harshly criticized the Trump administration in his speech Wednesday, saying its offer to lift sanctions against members of the armed forces who turn against his government is an "assault on their honor and dignity."

"Donald Trump is racist and surrounded by crazies," Maduro said. </s> Image copyright EPA Image caption Mr Zambrano's car was towed by Sebin agents with him inside

The deputy of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó has been detained by the country's intelligence services.

Edgar Zambrano, vice-president of the National Assembly, refused to leave his car when approached, and as a result he and his car were towed to prison.

It is the first arrest of a senior opposition figure since attempts to spark a military rebellion against President Nicolás Maduro last week.

Mr Guaidó is recognised as "interim president" by more than 50 nations.

What happened?

Democratic Action party leader Carlos Prosperi told reporters that he had been at a party meeting with Mr Zambrano in the capital Caracas moments before the latter was arrested by agents from Venezuela's Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Sebin).

"The vehicle was surrounded," he said. "They [Sebin agents] wouldn't allow us to get to him. They brought a tow truck and his vehicle was towed away."

Venezuelan online television channel VPI posted footage of the moment Mr Zambrano was towed on Twitter.

Mr Prosperi said that he believes Mr Zambrano was taken to El Helicoide, a notorious prison in the centre of the city.

"We don't know anything about what physical condition he's in and we don't know what is happening at El Helicoide at the moment," he said.

What's the background?

The arrest comes a day after Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered that Mr Zambrano and six other National Assembly deputies be charged with treason for their alleged participation in the failed military uprising.

Read more about Venezuela's crisis:

The court asked the National Constituent Assembly (ANC), a body convened by President Maduro and made up exclusively of his supporters, to lift the parliamentary immunity of the lawmakers, which the ANC promptly did.

Since then, three more opposition lawmakers have been charged and their immunity is expected to be lifted within days.

They are: Freddy Superlano of the Democratic Action party, Sergio Vergara and Juan Andrés Mejía, who both represent the Popular Will party.

What reaction has there been?

Mr Guaidó called Mr Zambrano's arrest - in particular the towing of his car - "absurd" in a tweet he posted shortly after the incident.

There was also swift reaction from the officials from the US, a country which has been one of the strongest supporters of Mr Guaidó.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Venezuela crisis: The four countries interested in the presidential battle

On the Twitter account of its "virtual" embassy in Caracas - the embassy closed in March amid growing tensions - the US called the detention "illegal and inexcusable" and warned that if he was not released immediately, there would be consequences. However, the tweet did not spell out what those consequences would be.

The EU said Mr Zambrano's arrest was "another fragrant violation" of Venezuela's constitution and described it as "a politically motivated action aimed at silencing the National Assembly".

Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru have also called for Mr Zambrano's release.

Meanwhile, the head of the National Constituent Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, boasted about the arrest on his TV show.

To the applause and loud cheers of government supporters, he mocked the lawmaker, saying that he would have to pay for the towing of his vehicle.

Earlier Mr Cabello called Mr Zambrano "one of the principal conspirators of the coup" and said that he and his "co-conspirators" would have to "pay before the courts for the failed coup that they have attempted".

How did it come to this?

Mr Guaidó declared himself Venezuela's acting leader in January. As the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, he invoked the constitution to assume as the position of interim president, arguing that Mr Maduro's re-election last year was illegitimate.

Since then, tension between those who support Mr Guaidó and those who back Mr Maduro has increased. The military is seen as holding the key to the balance of power.

On 30 April, in a video recorded near an air force base in Caracas, Mr Guaidó called on the military to help him oust President Maduro.

Mr Zambrano was one of the lawmakers seen in later footage talking to Mr Guaidó on a flyover near the air force base. Mr Cabello said that was "enough to prove his involvement".

While a small group of uniformed men joined Mr Guaidó, the top brass of the military quickly declared its loyalty to President Maduro and the status quo was maintained.

Mr Guaidó has since told the BBC he would consider asking the US to stage a military intervention.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Self-declared interim president Juan Guaidó failed in a third attempt to oust Nicolás Maduro. What now? </s> CARACAS (Reuters) - Two Venezuelan lawmakers sought refuge at foreign embassies in Caracas on Thursday, as the government of President Nicolas Maduro cracked down on allies of opposition leader Juan Guaido who supported his attempted uprising last week.

FILE PHOTO: Lawmaker Richard Blanco gives a speech to opposition supporters during a rally against the National Constituent Assembly, outside a school where a polling center will be established for a Constitutional Assembly election next Sunday in Caracas, Venezuela, July 24, 2017. REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares/File Photo

The ex-head of the state intelligence service, Manuel Cristopher, the top Maduro government official to defect during the uprising, also spoke out for the first time on Thursday, urging Venezuelans to “build a new state” and combat corruption.

The moves came the day after authorities arrested Edgar Zambrano, the opposition-run National Assembly’s vice president.

Richard Blanco of the Brave Peoples’ Alliance party entered Argentina’s embassy on Thursday, according to an Argentine foreign ministry source and a Reuters witness, while Americo De Grazia of the Radical Cause party sought refuge at Italy’s embassy, according to three sources close to him.

Blanco, Zambrano and De Grazia were among 10 lawmakers stripped of congressional immunity by the Supreme Court this week, which said the legislators should be investigated for crimes including conspiracy, treason and rebellion. Marianella Magallanes, another lawmaker, took refuge in the Italian embassy on Wednesday.

The opposition do not recognize the Supreme Court’s decisions since they say Maduro has stocked it with his own supporters. The U.S. government has threatened to impose sanctions on all of the court’s members.

Venezuela’s information ministry, Argentina’s embassy in Caracas and Italy’s embassy in Caracas did not respond to requests for comment.

“He (Blanco) is there as a guest; we can confirm that,” an Argentine foreign ministry official said, on condition of anonymity.

Guaido invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency in January, arguing Maduro’s 2018 reelection was illegitimate. About 50 countries, including the United States and much of Latin America, have recognized Guaido as the country’s legitimate leader.

Maduro’s government has so far avoided arresting Guaido, which would likely provoke a strong international backlash. But the recent measures suggest the ruling Socialist Party is seeking to isolate him by pursuing key political allies.

“We take it as a given that the regime is going to keep escalating its repression,” Guaido said at a news conference, referring to Zambrano’s arrest. He also called for Venezuelans to take to the streets on Saturday for fresh protests against Maduro.Cristopher, the ex-intelligence chief, was replaced by Maduro on April 30 and his whereabouts remain unknown. The U.S. government lifted sanctions on Cristopher this week, in a bid to encourage other top officials to withdraw support for Maduro.

“Enough with blaming the world for our country’s disgraces, and to keep demanding more sacrifices from our people while some leaders make fortunes,” Cristopher said in a video posted on Twitter by Venezuelan TV outlet NTN24.

TOWED AWAY AND ARRESTED

Zambrano was arrested on Wednesday by agents from the SEBIN intelligence service, who used a tow truck to drag away his vehicle with him inside. He tweeted that he was being taken to the SEBIN headquarters in Caracas. Authorities have not confirmed where he was being detained.

Soley Zambrano, his daughter, said she last heard from her father around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

“Minutes before it happened, he got in touch with me and said, ‘My daughter, you know who your father is: a democrat who will not give in to anything,” she told reporters outside the SEBIN headquarters on Thursday afternoon.

His arrest drew swift condemnation from the United States, which argues Maduro is a dictator who has undermined the rule of law.

“We will continue to use the full weight of the U.S. government to hold accountable those who subvert democracy and the Venezuelan constitutional order, and threaten the safety of the duly-elected National Assembly of Venezuela,” a senior White House official said on Thursday, on condition of anonymity.

The decision to strip legislators of their immunity and to arrest Zambrano was condemned as ‘unconstitutional’ in a statement on Thursday by the regional Lima Group bloc.

Other Guaido allies have already been jailed or fled to the embassies of sympathetic nations. Guaido’s chief of staff, Roberto Marrero, was arrested in March and remains in jail.

Slideshow (6 Images)

Last week, Leopoldo Lopez - Guaido’s political mentor - moved into Spain’s diplomatic residence after escaping house arrest to appear alongside Guaido during his call for the military to rise up.

The United States has slapped sanctions on state oil company PDVSA and several top figures in Maduro’s government in a bid to pressure Maduro to step aside so Guaido can take office and call new elections.

But Maduro retains control of the military and state functions. He has branded Guaido a U.S.-backed puppet seeking to oust him in a coup. </s> Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó's deputy has been detained by the country's intelligence services.

Edgar Zambrano, vice president of the National Assembly, refused to leave his car when approached, and as a result he and his car were towed to prison.

It is the first arrest of an opposition figure since attempts to spark a military rebellion against President Nicolás Maduro last week.

Mr Guaidó is recognised as "interim president" by more than 50 nations.

Democratic Action party leader Carlos Prosperi told reporters that he had been at a party meeting with Mr Zambrano in the capital Caracas moments before he was arrested by agents from Venezuela's Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Sebin).

"The vehicle was surrounded," he said. "They [Sebin agents] wouldn't allow us to get to him. They brought a tow truck and his vehicle was towed away."

He added that they believe he was taken to El Helicoide, a notorious prison in the centre of the city.

"We don't know anything about what physical condition he's in and we don't know what is happening at El Helicoide at the moment," Mr Prosperi said.

Mr Guaidó also tweeted about the arrest, calling Mr Zambrano's arrest - in particular, the towing of his car - "absurd".

The arrest comes one day after Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered that Mr Zambrano and six other National Assembly deputies be charged with treason for their alleged participation in the failed military uprising.

"One of the principal conspirators of the coup has just been arrested," Diosdado Cabello, head of the pro-Maduro Constituent Assembly, told state TV. "They will have to pay before the courts for the failed coup that they have attempted."

What has happened since last week's clashes?

On 1 May, both pro and anti-government supporters held demonstrations in Caracas which were initially peaceful.

But there were soon reports of gunfire in the city, and a local NGO, the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict, said Jurubith Rausseo, 27, had been shot dead during a rally in the opposition stronghold of Altamira.

On Tuesday, Mr Guaidó declared what he called the "final phase" of the operation to topple Mr Maduro. He posted a video of him with a number of men in uniform and said he had the support of "brave soldiers" in Caracas.

He urged Venezuelans to join them on the streets, and appeared alongside another opposition leader, Leopoldo López, who had been under house arrest after being found guilty of inciting violence during protests in 2014.

Four people died in the clashes, including two teenagers, and another 46 people were injured.

Mr Guaidó declared himself Venezuela's interim leader in January. As the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, he invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing that Mr Maduro's re-election last year was illegitimate.

The opposition leader, who is president of the National Assembly, has the support of more than 50 countries, including the US, UK and most Latin American nations.

On Sunday, he told the BBC that he would consider asking the US to stage a military intervention.

But Mr Maduro - who is backed by Russia, China and the leaders of Venezuela's military - has refused to cede power.
Venezuelan security forces surround the Palacio Federal Legislativo in Caracas, preventing opposition National Assembly lawmakers from entering the building to discuss a response to the recent arrest of National Assembly Vice President Edgar Zambrano.