CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuelan authorities have detained two members of opposition leader Juan Guaidó's security team and accused them of trying to sell weapons belonging to the state.

Socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello said Saturday that the suspects planned to sell four guns allegedly used during Guaidó's failed military rebellion on April 30.

Guaidó on Friday tweeted that two members of his team, Erick Sánchez y Jason Parisi, had been taken into custody in Caracas while providing security for his family as he traveled outside the capital. He addressed supporters in the western state of Trujillo on Saturday.

The arrests come after several days of talks between the Venezuelan government and the opposition as the two sides seek a solution to the country's political standoff. </s> Venezuelan authorities have detained two members of opposition leader Juan Guaidó's security team, keeping pressure on their U.S.-backed adversary even as the two sides hold talks aimed at finding a solution to the country's political standoff.

The two men planned to sell four guns belonging to the state that were allegedly used during Guaidó's failed military rebellion on April 30, socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello said Saturday. Information Minister Jorge Rodríguez also said on national television that the alleged attempt to sell weapons while negotiating with the government reflected opposition deceit.

Guaidó on Friday tweeted that two members of his team, Erick Sánchez y Jason Parisi, had been taken into custody in Caracas while providing security for his family as he traveled outside the capital. He said the allegations against them were false and speculated that authorities would plant weapons on the two men in order to frame them.

"We know what we're fighting against: A dictatorship," said Guaidó, who addressed supporters in the western state of Trujillo on Saturday.

Despite tension over the arrests, there was no immediate indication that plans to resume talks between the Venezuelan government and the opposition would be disrupted. The two sides held several days of discussions on the Caribbean island of Barbados last week, and said they will continue negotiations next week.

The government of Nicolás Maduro and the opposition gave upbeat assessments after the last round of talks, though negotiations in previous years have collapsed and major issues remain contentious. Guaidó contends Maduro's re-election last year was invalid and wants early presidential elections: the government accuses the opposition of fomenting violence.

As the political dispute drags on, Venezuela is sinking deeper into an economic and humanitarian crisis that has forced millions of people to leave the country in recent years.

The United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela to try to dislodge Maduro, compounding hardship in a country whose economy, including its key oil industry, has been in sharp decline for many years.

Also Saturday, Cabello and other key supporters of Maduro held a demonstration to condemn a scathing report on Venezuela by Michele Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Rally speakers said the report, which chronicles torture, sexual abuse and extrajudicial killings by government security forces, is inaccurate and biased. </s> CARACAS (Reuters) - Two members of Venezuelan National Assembly chief Juan Guaido’s security detail were detained on Friday, both the opposition leader and government officials said on Saturday, during a pause in negotiations between the two divided political factions.

Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said in a television broadcast that Erick Sanchez and Jason Parisi were arrested for attempting to sell rifles he said were taken from a National Guard armoury at the legislative palace in preparation for Guaido’s failed attempt to unseat President Nicolas Maduro on April 30.

The arrests came just days after representatives of both Maduro and Guaido returned from negotiations in Barbados to resolve a political crisis that began in January, when Guaido invoked the constitution to assume a rival interim presidency, arguing Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate.

Norway’s government, which is mediating the talks, has said they are expected to continue. But the arrests could exacerbate tensions between the two sides at a time when other members of Guaido’s inner circle, including his chief of staff Roberto Marrero and National Assembly deputy chief Edgar Zambrano, remain in state custody.

“They are going to plant arms on them, like with Roberto Marrero. This is not new: we know what we are up against,” Guaido said in a speech in the western state of Trujillo, where he is rallying supporters this weekend.

Marrero was accused of smuggling guns and explosives from Colombia when he was arrested in March. His lawyer, Joel Garcia, has said Marrero denies all the charges and alleges that the Sebin intelligence agency planted weapons in Marrero’s home.

Venezuela’s chief prosecutor’s office has not commented on the arrest of Sanchez and Parisi.

Rodriguez said he would bring evidence of the weapons accusations against the two guards to the next round of negotiations with the opposition.

“We have to play clean,” Rodriguez said. “There cannot continue to be different agendas.”

Maduro calls Guaido a puppet of the United States seeking to oust him in a coup. </s> Venezuelan state media attacked President Juan Guaidó on Monday after he called for an investigation into claims two of his subordinates embezzled money meant for the housing and feeding of Venezuelan military defectors.

Guaidó legally became president of Venezuela in January. Dictator Nicolás Maduro remains in control of the military, however, as well as the presidential palace and state media.

The allegations broke last week after the Latin American news outlet the PanAm Post reported that two of Guaidó’s government officials, Rossana Barrera and Kevin Rojas, had allegedly used funds intended to cover the cost of the troops’ hotels in the Colombian border city of Cúcuta for personal purchases.

Both of the accused are senior members of Popular Will, the socialist political party to which Guaidó belongs, whom Guaidó personally appointed to control funds meant to aid soldiers who ceased to take orders from Maduro and fled to Cúcuta. The Post cited unnamed Colombian intelligence officials as the sources for their claim.

“We will investigate this deeply,” Guaido said during a speech to supporters in the state of Mérida this weekend. “Every cent of public funds should be sacred, and that is something we have to learn as a society.”

The Maduro regime quickly weaponized the scandal. Maduro Communication Minister Jorge Rodríguez accused Guaidó’s camp of spending an additional $800,000 on private aircraft in February as they were trying to organize the entry of humanitarian aid into the country.

“This is the photo of Camilo Daza airport in Cúcuta on the afternoon of February 22nd. On plane hire alone, the far-right spent more than $800,000 that day,” he wrote. “Where did the money come from? From the money Venezuela needs to operate our children.”

Rodríguez did not corroborate his claim with any evidence, save for a photo of the alleged plane.

On Monday, Rodríguez also suggested that the U.S. Department of Justice should open a probe into the board of the U.S.-based Venezuelan oil refinery Citgo for its role in allowing Guaidó’s government to take control of the company. Last month, Maduro personally accused Juan Guaidó of stealing the company’s profits for personal use.

“Mr. Juan Guaidó, acting together with imperialism [the United States], has stolen Citgo from us,” Maduro said during a live Periscope broadcast last month. “And I am asking, what have they done with the money? Where is the Citgo money? They have stolen the Citgo money from us. And the products meant for our oil refineries were stolen from us, too,” Maduro said.

The range of allegations against Guaidó’s entourage will likely further disappoint the Venezuelan people, many of whom believed that he was the man to remove the Maduro from power and begin a transition to democracy. Since his appointment in January by the National Assembly as the country’s interim president, Guaidó has failed to wrench control of the military from the socialist regime.

Guaidó’s team has recently engaged in several rounds of negotiations with the regime in Sweden and Norway, despite widespread opposition to them doing so. However, such talks have ended without agreement after the Maduro regime repeatedly refused to hold any free elections in the near future. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Self-declared interim president Juan Guaidó says that the US has been "decisive" in its support for him

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó has said he is considering asking the US to launch a military intervention in the embattled country.

Speaking to the BBC's Nick Bryant, he said he would "evaluate all options" to oust President Nicolás Maduro.

Last week he launched a failed attempt to spark a military rebellion and force Mr Maduro out of power.

The president responded by delivering an address from an army base in Caracas, flanked by soldiers.

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.

But Mr Maduro - who is backed by Russia, China and the leaders of Venezuela's military - has refused to cede power.

Mr Guaidó has the support of more than 50 countries, including the US, UK and most Latin American nations - and he has told the BBC that US support for him has been "decisive".

"I think President [Donald] Trump's position is very firm, which we appreciate, as does the entire world," he said.

Asked whether he would like Mr Trump and the US military to intervene, he responded it is "responsible to evaluate" the possibility of international intervention, adding: "I, as the president in charge of the national parliament, will evaluate all options if necessary."

What has the US said?

Mr Trump told reporters on Friday that he wasn't looking to get the US military involved in Venezuela.

He said that in a call, Russian president Vladimir Putin had assured him that "he is not looking to get involved in Venezuela other than he'd like to see something positive happen for Venezuela", before adding: "And I feel the same way."

But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had much stronger words for Russia on Sunday, telling the US broadcaster ABC that "the Russians must get out".

"It's very clear, we want the Russians out, we want the Iranians out, we want the Cubans out," he said.

Has Guaidó been defeated?

In response to the clashes this week, Mr Maduro appeared on Friday flanked by soldiers at an army base in Caracas, calling on the armed forces to defeat "any coup plotter".

"No one dare touch our sacred ground or bring war to Venezuela," he added, in a show of defiance that followed days of clashes. Four people died in the violence, including two teenagers.

Image copyright EPA Image caption The armed forces did not appear to heed Mr Guaidó's call to defect

But Mr Guaidó denies that he has been defeated, telling the BBC that President Maduro "has been losing again and again".

"I think the only one who really hurts himself is Maduro," he said. "He has been losing again and again. He is increasingly weak, increasingly alone, and has no international support. On the contrary, we gain acceptance, support and future options."

He also claims that it is "clearly visible that the armed forces no longer support Maduro".

How did the violence unfold?

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

There were 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.

At least 46 people were injured in clashes between opposition supporters and the security forces.

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.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Why Venezuela matters to the US... and vice versa

Spain's government later said that Mr López and his family had sought safety in their embassy, but said the opposition figure had not claimed political asylum.

An arrest warrant for violating the house arrest order was issued for Mr López, according to a statement on the Supreme Court's website. The order stated that Mr López should continue to serve the rest of his 13-year sentence in prison.

Spain said it had no intention of handing over Mr López to the Venezuelan authorities. </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> Venezuelan authorities say they are putting down a small coup attempt after opposition leader Juan Guaidó announced he was in the “final phase” of ending President Nicolás Maduro’s rule.

He appeared in a video with uniformed men, claiming he had military support.

Mr Guaidó, who declared himself interim president in January, called for more members of the military to help him end Mr Maduro’s “usurpation” of power.

The military has so far supported Mr Maduro and refused to back Mr Guaidó.

However the opposition leader has backing from dozens of countries, including most of Latin America and the United States.

A spokeswoman for the Spanish government warned against “bloodshed” in Venezuela. “Spain is not supporting any military coup,” Isabel Celaa said, urging a “peaceful” outcome to the Venezuelan crisis.

Colombian President Iván Duque called on the Venezuelan army to back Mr Guaidó.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the US president had been briefed and “we are monitoring the ongoing situation”. US Senator Marco Rubio, a staunch supporter of Mr Guaidó, also took to Twitter to urge the military to give their backing to the National Assembly president.

In the video, Mr Guaidó says he has the support of “brave soldiers” in Caracas.

“People of Venezuela, let’s take to the streets (…) to support the end of the usurpation, which is irreversible. (…) The National Armed Forces have taken the correct decision, they have the support of the people of Venezuela, and the backing of our constitution, they are guaranteed to be on the right side of history,” he says.

The video, published on Mr Guaidó’s Twitter account, shows him standing next to another opposition leader, Leopoldo López, who has been under house arrest after he was found guilty of inciting violence during anti-government protests in 2014.

Mr López said that he had been freed by members of the military who had declared their loyalty to Mr Guaidó.

The Venezuelan information minister, Jorge Rodríguez, responded to the events on Twitter, writing that the government was confronting a small group of “military traitors” which according to him were promoting a coup.

Mr Guaidó, the president of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, has been calling on the military to back him ever since he declared himself interim president.

He argues that President Maduro is a “usurper” because he was re-elected in polls that have been widely disputed.

The video appeared to have been recorded at dawn in or near La Carlota air force base in the capital Caracas.

Footage recorded later by Reuters news agency shows Mr Guaidó and Mr López with dozens of uniformed men on a highway in Caracas.

Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionMr López (third from right) said he had been freed by security forces who back Mr Guaidó

Many are wearing blue armbands and bandannas to signal their support for Mr Guaidó. The footage shows teargas being fired at the them.

Mr López, who leads the Popular Will party of which Mr Guaidó is a member, urged Venezuelans to join them: “All Venezuelans who want freedom should come here, disrupt order, join and encourage our soldiers, join our people. Good morning Venezuela, let’s do this together.”

Footage showed supporters of Mr Guaidó throwing stones at the airbase while others waved Venezuelan flags but their actions seemed to lack co-ordination.

Events in Venezuela are uncertain and unclear but Mr Guaidó has seemingly gambled heavily in his latest bid for power.

The loyalty of the military to President Nicolás Maduro’s regime has been the central factor that has kept him in power. Barring a fundamental change in their allegiance or at the very least a significant split in their ranks, no amount of outside diplomatic pressure is going to push Mr Maduro from office.

So are we seeing this split now? Mr Guaidó and his supporters claim parts of the military across the country have backed him, but so far there is little evidence of this.

For Mr Guaidó the stakes are huge. The Venezuelan government says it is putting down a coup attempt. This is perhaps the most dramatic moment yet in Venezuela’s current political saga.

Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino said that military bases were “operating normally” and that the armed forces were “standing firm in defence of the constitution and its legitimate authorities”.

In a later tweet, he wrote: “They’re cowards!!”

A senior member of the governing socialist party, Diosdado Cabello, called on supporters of President Maduro to take to the streets around the presidential palace to defend Mr Maduro from “the right-wing conspiracy”.

“Every one of their actions will have an overwhelming response” he said. “We will be radical in our defence of the Bolivarian revolution,” he said. </s> CLOSE

Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido gather in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Thousands of Venezuelans have migrated to Spain in recent years or are seeking asylum in the country, including prominent members of the opposition and former officials who worked closely with late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. More than 177,000 Spaniards live in Venezuela. (Photo: Bernat Armangue, AP)

MADRID – European countries urged restraint in Venezuela on Tuesday and called for new elections as a way to settle the political crisis in the South American country, but there wasn't a unified voice immediately on whether to support or condemn the opposition's move to oust President Nicolás Maduro.

In a statement released late in the day, the European Union said it rejected any form of violence and would continue to push for "free and fair elections."

The president of the bloc's Parliament, Antonio Tajani, came out as the strongest European voice in support of the opposition. In a tweet in Spanish, Tajani called the events "a historic moment for the return to democracy and freedom in Venezuela," and described the release of activist Leopoldo López from house arrest as "great news."

"Let's go Venezuela free!" wrote Tajani, a prominent conservative leader.

All but four EU members endorsed the initial, Europe-wide call in February to back opposition leader Juan Guaidó when he appointed himself interim president.

The four who did not join the other EU members were Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Slovakia.

Italy has declared itself to be neutral on Venezuela, reflecting divisions within the coalition government in Rome between the right-wing League, which favors Guaidó, and the 5-Star Movement, which has warned against recognizing him.

The left-wing Greek government also has rejected pressure to endorse Guaidó and has not voiced support for Maduro as it has in the past, saying instead that elections are the only way out of the crisis.

A similar approach has been followed by Cyprus and Slovakia.

Slovakia does not recognize Guaidó as an interim president, Foreign Ministry spokesman Boris Gandel said. But he added that no Slovak representative attended Maduro's inauguration, and that showed that the country does not recognize the results of last year's presidential election.

Spain, which has been credited for setting the EU's line on Venezuela, has walked a fine line until now. Although the Spanish center-left government was the first among European peers to back Guaidó and recognize one of his aides as the "special envoy of the interim president" in Madrid, it fell short of using the term "ambassador."

That allowed Spain to maintain diplomatic ties with Maduro's administration, keeping the official Venezuelan Embassy in Madrid open. Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell has warned against taking the U.S. government line of "all options on the table" to seek a "change of regime" in Venezuela, rather than facilitating free and fair elections.

A government spokeswoman said Spain "rejects a military coup," while it backs Guaidó's "legitimacy to lead democratic transition" in Venezuela.

"Guaidó represents the alternative," said the spokeswoman, Isabel Celaá, urging restraint from all sides to avoid bloodshed.

A Venezuelan woman shouts slogans in favor of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Thousands of Venezuelans have migrated to Spain in recent years or are seeking asylum in the country, including prominent members of the opposition and former officials who worked closely with late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. More than 177,000 Spaniards live in Venezuela. (Photo: Bernat Armangue, AP)

The Venezuelan crisis resonates strongly in Spain, where the issue divides parties across the political spectrum.

Thousands of Venezuelans have migrated to Spain in recent years or are seeking asylum in the country, including prominent members of the opposition and former officials who worked closely with late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. More than 177,000 Spaniards live in Venezuela.

Spain has promoted the role of the EU-led International Contact Group, which seeks elections and a safe channel for humanitarian aid into Venezuela. The ICG has been criticized by the Venezuelan opposition, which says the group helps Maduro hold onto power.

U.S. officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, were quick to issue statements of support for the opposition. Pence tweeted: "We are with you! America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored."

The Trump administration has led calls for countries to recognize Guaidó as Venezuela's legitimate leader and has won the support of 54 countries. But the effort to recruit more has largely stalled as Maduro clings to power.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the crisis in Venezuela with his top security body. Russia is a key ally of Maduro and one of his government's main suppliers of weapons.

Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that Putin raised the topic during his scheduled meeting with his Security Council.

Peskov said the meeting "paid significant attention to the news reports about a coup attempt in that country," but he did not elaborate.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called on "the radical opposition" in Venezuela to stand down and "refrain from violence."

"It is important to avoid unrest and bloodshed," the ministry said in a statement, adding that Venezuela's problems "should be resolved through a responsible process of negotiation without preconditions."

It also urged the opposition to avoid "destructive interference from abroad."

The U.N. said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all sides in Venezuela to exercise "maximum restraint," avoid any violence and take immediate steps to restore calm.

Contributing: Associated Press writers Nicole Winfield in Rome, Karel Janicek in Prague, Czech Republic, Nicholas Paphitis in Athens and Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow

Want to read more? Download the USA TODAY app

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/04/30/european-union-says-free-fair-elections-solution-venezuela-antonio-tajani-maduro-guaido/3631688002/ </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.
The Venezuelan government arrests two members of disputed Interim President Juan Guaidó's personal security. The government claims that the pair were trying to sell weapons stolen from the national army and organising the failed coup attempt on 30 April. The opposition denies the weapons charges.