Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks to soldiers in Caracas, Venezuela, on August 4. His speech was cut short by an assassination attempt involving an exploding drone, officials said. Photo by Miguel Guti√©rrez/EPA-EFE

Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Venezuelan authorities have arrested a military general and colonel and a dozen others in connection to a failed assassination attempt on President Nicolas Maduro.

Maj. Gen. Alejandro Perez and Col. Pedro Zambrano were identified in court as the high-ranking officers arrested for the drone attack.

Investigators said the plot used explosive drones to target Maduro as he gave a speech Aug. 4. The president was not hurt, but seven soldiers were injured.

Tuesday, the Venezuelan Supreme Court said Perez, Zambrano, opposition lawmaker Juan Requesen and five others had been held "for attempted aggravated homicide against the president."

Overall, 14 people have been arrested so far on charges related to the assassination attempt.

Officials said Zambrano and retired soldier Juan Monasterios were previously charged in an assault on a military base last year, during which weapons were stolen.

Opposition leaders said Maduro is using the failed plot to suppress insurgents.

The high-profile arrests and opposition comes amid Venezuela's ongoing economic and social crisis.

"The human rights situation of the people of Venezuela is dismal," former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in June. "When a box of hypertension pills costs more than the monthly minimum wage and baby milk formula more than two months' salary, but protesting against such an impossible situation can land you in jail, the extreme injustice of it all is stark."</s>The unrest in Venezuela almost ended the life of president Nicolás Maduro during a speech earlier this month.</s>CARACAS - A Venezuelan general has been arrested over the alleged assassination attempt on President Nicolas Maduro, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said on Tuesday.

National Guard Major General Alejandro Perez Gomez appeared before a judge on Monday along with opposition politician Juan Requesens and colonel Pedro Javier Zambrano, Saab told a press conference.

To date, 14 people have been arrested and charged for allegedly taking part in the August 4 incident in which Maduro was seen reacting on live television to an off-camera explosion while he addressed a military parade in Caracas.

A second explosion was heard and then the assembled troops could be seen breaking formation and scattering in panic.

Maduro said the blasts were from explosives-laden drones sent to assassinate him. Saab told journalists further arrests were possible.

Maduro has blamed the attack on “terrorist cells” in Florida led by a man called Osman Delgado Tabosky, whom he claims was behind the plot. The state is home to a large community of Venezuelan immigrants.

Maduro said this week that he would allow FBI agents to come to Venezuela to help investigate the alleged plot.</s>The US state is home to a large community of Venezuelan immigrants. Maduro said this week that he would allow FBI agents to come to Venezuela to help investigate the alleged plot

Venezuela has arrested a general as part of a continuing probe into the alleged attempt to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro, the attorney general has said. Major General Alejandro Perez Gomez of the country's national guard appeared before a judge on Monday along with opposition politician Juan Requesens and another military officer, Colonel Pedro Javier Zambrano, Tarek William Saab told a press conference. To date, 14 people have been arrested and charged for allegedly taking part in the August 4 incident in which Maduro was seen reacting on live television to an off-camera explosion while he addressed a military parade in Caracas.

A second explosion was heard and then the assembled troops could be seen breaking formation and scattering in panic. Maduro said the blasts were from explosives-laden drones sent to assassinate him, though opposition figures accuse Maduro of fabricating the incident to step up repression. Saab told journalists in Caracas that further arrests were possible. He said his office had requested Requesens' bank accounts be blocked along with those of opposition parliament chairman Julio Borges, who has fled to neighbouring Colombia.

The Constituent Assembly, a powerful super-legislative body of Maduro loyalists created last year that has arrogated powers from the opposition-dominated National Assembly, last week stripped Borges and Requesens of their parliamentary immunity so they can be put on trial. Maduro's government has also requested Interpol to arrest Borges.

Two of those arrested, the colonel - Zambrano - and Juan Monasteries, a retired soldier, were also charged in connection with an assault on a military fort at Paramacay in August last year, in which weapons were stolen. Authorities said opposition militant Oscar Perez, who shot to prominence during unrest in 2017 when he used a helicopter to bomb the supreme court and interior ministry buildings, had led the attack on the fort. Perez was killed in a police assault on his hideout in January.

The arrest of the general and colonel comes after the detention of several soldiers in recent months for allegedly conspiring against Maduro. Military expert Rocio San Miguel told AFP there was a "witch hunt" against generals and other senior military officers as part of a "purge unleashed since Maduro's rise to power." Within days of his controversial re-election in May in a poll boycotted by the opposition, Maduro announced the capture of a group of soldiers accused of plotting to destabilize the elections. He said they had received backing from the opposition as well as from the US and Colombian governments. San Miguel estimates that some 200 members of the armed forces are currently in prison.

"I have the impression that there is a high degree of internal instability," he said. Following the drone incident, the military high command issued a statement reiterating its "unconditional loyalty" to the unpopular president, who has overseen the collapse of his nation's once-thriving oil-based economy. The armed forces are considered Maduro's main bastion of support and integral to his grip on power.

Thousands of Venezuelans flee the country daily amid widespread shortages of food and medicine, malnutrition is rife, and the International Monetary Fund is forecasting inflation to reach one million per cent this year. Maduro has blamed the August 4 incident on "terrorist cells" in Florida led by a man called Osman Delgado Tabosky, whom he claims was behind the plot. The US state is home to a large community of Venezuelan immigrants. Maduro said this week that he would allow FBI agents to come to Venezuela to help investigate the alleged plot.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever</s>Venezuela’s attorney general said Tuesday that two high-ranking military officers have been detained in the investigation into an alleged drone attack against President Nicolas Maduro.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab said National Guard Maj. Gen. Alejandro Perez and National Guard Col. Pedro Javier Zambrano were presented to court late Monday in the August 4 incident.

Opposition lawmaker Juan Requesens is accused of taking part in the plot, his lawyer said. Several other individuals have been arrested.

Army Gen. Armando Hernandez, in a video posted on social media, said he was being detained at his flat in Caracas by counterintelligence service DGCIM.

CNN could not independently verify the claim.

Maduro has accused opposition groups of orchestrating the failed attack and claimed the “financiers and planners” of the operation live in Florida.

Authorities have identified the masterminds of the assassination attempt as well as the people who assisted them, Saab said previously.

The investigation, which involves four prosecutors, has yielded the locations from where the drones were piloted, as well as the arrests of two of the drone pilots, the country’s top law enforcement official said.

“We also know the places where they stayed in the days leading to the attack. We have identified the people who made the explosives and prepared the weapons and their international links,” Saab said.

He further said the alleged assassination constituted a “betrayal to the motherland, intentional homicide attempt, terrorism, association to commit a crime and financing terrorism.”

Maduro survived the assault, during which the government says drones armed with explosives flew toward him as he spoke at a military parade. He earlier blamed the attack on far-right elements and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. Colombia called the claim absurd and said it had become “customary for Maduro to blame Colombia for any kind of problem in his country.”</s>Venezuelan President Asks FBI For Help After Surviving Assassination Attempt

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro regularly accuses the U.S. of working to overthrow him. But in a surprise invitation, he said he would welcome the FBI's help in investigating an attack last week that he says was an assassination attempt.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro regularly claims the U.S. government is trying to have him killed. Earlier this month, he survived an attack by a drone armed with explosives. And now he's asking the FBI to help find the culprits. Reporter John Otis has more.

JOHN OTIS, BYLINE: The August 4 attack was captured by Venezuelan state TV.

OTIS: Maduro can be seen addressing military troops in Caracas when he's interrupted by an explosion. Then sirens sound, and hundreds of soldiers run for cover. But the drones malfunctioned and exploded before they could reach the president, who was unhurt. Maduro blamed the attack on neighboring Colombia and on right-wing Venezuelans living in Miami, whom he claims are backed by U.S. financiers. As a result, Maduro claims that he needs the FBI to help investigate it.

OTIS: In a televised speech over the weekend, Maduro said, I would accept its help. I would allow the FBI to come to Venezuela and participate in the investigation. Critics claim it's all a big smokescreen. Harold Trinkunas, a Venezuelan expert at Stanford University, says Maduro is more concerned about cracking down on the civilian political opposition, whose members deny any involvement in the assassination plot.

HAROLD TRINKUNAS: So they clearly are going to take advantage of this to increase the level of repression.

OTIS: Citing the drone attack, the Venezuelan police last week arrested Juan Requesens, a prominent opposition lawmaker. In addition, the Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for Julio Borges, the former head of Venezuela's congress. As for cooperation with the U.S., in recent years there's been almost none. Maduro claims that the U.S. is trying to sabotage his socialist government and has expelled numerous American diplomats from Caracas.

The Trump administration in turn calls Maduro a dictator and has placed sanctions on his government. It also blames Maduro for leading Venezuela into its deepest economic crisis in modern history. Food shortages and annual inflation that could reach 1,000,000 percent this year have prompted a flood of Venezuelans to flee the country. Speaking on last week's "Fox News Sunday," U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said he was open to lending a hand in the drone investigation but sounded skeptical.

JOHN BOLTON: If the government of Venezuela has hard information that they want to present to us that would show a potential violation of U.S. criminal law, we'll take a serious look at it. But in the meantime, I think what we really should focus on is the corruption and the oppression of the Maduro regime in Venezuela.

OTIS: On Monday, a State Department spokesman said the U.S. government would investigate any illegal activity inside its borders if provided credible evidence. For NPR News, I'm John Otis.</s>"The Peruvian Embassy in Caracas received a request from the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry to locate two Venezuelan citizens wanted by the justice system of that country for their alleged participation in what the [Venezuelan] government calls an 'attempt on the life of the president of Venezuela,'" the ministry said on its Twitter account on Wednesday night.

Earlier in the day, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry asked Peru to extradite two suspects linked to the attempt on the president's life: Gregorio Jose Yaguas Monje and Yilber Alberto Escalona.

READ MORE: Venezuela Asks Peru to Hand Over Suspected Plotters of Assault on Maduro

On Tuesday, Venezuelan Prosecutor General Tarek William Saab said that there were a total of 34 suspects in the case, 14 of whom had already been arrested, including two high-ranking Venezuelan militaries.

READ MORE: Venezuela Faces Threat of 'Indirect Intervention' From Colombia — Professor

Maduro accused the country's opposition and former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos of the assassination attempt, adding that some of the attackers were hiding in the United States.

READ MORE: Exiled Venezuelan Court Sentences Maduro to 18 Years in Prison — Reports</s>A Venezuelan general has been arrested over the alleged assassination attempt on President Nicolas Maduro.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab told a press conference on Tuesday that the high-ranking officers were among those accused of the attack.

Their arrest came days after Mr Saab said the 'masterminds' of the alleged drone assassination had been identified.

He last week said several other suspects were in custody, including two people 'caught in the act' piloting one of the drones from a car close to the scene.

He called last Saturday's drone attack, in which seven soldiers were wounded, 'an attempted massacre', and Maduro has already pointed fingers at political enemies in Colombia and the United States.

Mr Requesens and fellow opposition politician Julio Borges last week had their immunity from prosecution stripped so they could face trial.

Venezuela's pro-government National Constituent Assembly voted unanimously to lift protection for the pair.

The alleged attack was during a parade marking the 81st anniversary of the National Guard, in the capital Caracas.

Video footage from the event showed Maduro standing flanked by military chiefs and his wife when suddenly explosions are heard.

Soldiers could be seen seen scattering away from the stage, before the broadcast was cut.

The socialist leader's critics have said they feared the Venezuelan government would use the attack to step up repression of the opposition and dissidents.

Maduro last week renewed his accusation against his Colombian counterpart, President Juan Manuel Santos, promising to release proof 'in the next few hours.'

The allegation has worsened already fraught ties between Caracas and Bogota. Santos, who hands over power to elected successor Ivan Duque on Tuesday, has categorically denied it.

Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said six people were arrested over the alleged assassination attempt, claiming two drones were used, each carrying a kilogram of C4 explosive.

No drones could be seen in the broadcast of the event, which was cut moments after the soldiers were seen scattering away from where Maduro was standing flanked by military chiefs and his wife.

Maduro and his allies insisted it was a drone assassination bid, despite no evidence being provided to prove this.

International experts have expressed similar concerns in the wake of the incident, saying it is giving the President an opportunity to distract the population from the economic crisis.

'It's the [former President Hugo] Chavez and Maduro playbook – to blame others for their problems, whether it's food shortages, inflation, medicine shortages, diseases such as polio [reappearing], which was eradicated nearly 40 years ago,' Jason Marczak, director of the Atlantic Council's Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, told Fox News.

'Colombia is increasingly seen as a scapegoat for Maduro for the problems he faces in Venezuela, problems he created in his own country,' Marczak said.

'There has been a ramp-up in Colombia's attention to the crisis in Venezuela and trying to facilitate some type of international response...to put pressure on Venezuela.'

A live broadcast of Saturday's incident on Venezuelan state television showed Maduro interrupted in mid-speech by an explosion and looking up in confusion.

Dozens of soldiers on parade are then seen breaking ranks and running away in panic.

Maduro and his government said the president had been targeted by two flying drones carrying explosives. But details of the incident remain unclear, with conflicting information coming from various sources.

The Maduro administration said Colombia had collaborated on the attack with the 'ultra far-right' Venezuelan opposition, and it was financed by unnamed figures in the US state of Florida.

No evidence was given to support the allegations. Thousands of exiled Venezuelans live in Colombia and in Florida.

On the first working day after the Maduro incident, Brazil briefly closed its northern border to Venezuelans on Monday - while allowing other nationalities entry.

It is not thought to be related to Maduro's alleged assassination attempt, as Brazil has been struggling to contain mass migration from Venezuela for some time.

The Supreme Court overturned a lower court decision that had suspended the entry of more Venezuelans until other immigrants from the country were transferred elsewhere in Brazil.

'It is not justified to take the easy path to 'close the doors' because of difficulties in hosting refugees,' Supreme Court justice Rosa Weber said in her ruling issued shortly before midnight.

The border had remained open to Brazilians and other nationalities, as well as to Venezuelans seeking to return to their home country.

It's a main crossing point for tens of thousands of Venezuelan migrants, an influx that has increased dramatically over the past two years.

An estimated 500 Venezuelans cross the land border into Brazil each day.

Maduro, a former bus driver who took over the reins from his mentor Hugo Chavez upon the latter's death to cancer in 2013, has been ruling in increasingly autocratic fashion with military support.

He controls almost all the country's institutions, and has used the supreme court, electoral authorities and a new super-legislative body, the Constitutional Assembly, to sideline the opposition-run parliament, the National Assembly.

Although he won a new six-year term in controversial snap elections boycotted by the opposition, Maduro remains widely reviled for presiding over a collapsing economy.

Inflation this year is projected to reach as high as one million percent, according to the International Monetary Fund. Oil exports - a vital money-earner for a country sitting atop the world's largest crude reserves - have declined sharply.

Venezuela's currency, the bolivar, is practically worthless and food and medicine are extremely scarce, prompting hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans to flee abroad.

The country is largely isolated internationally and is subject to US sanctions that greatly degrade Caracas's capacity to raise credit.

Maduro regularly accuses the 'imperialist' United States of plotting coups against him and waging 'economic war' on Venezuela.</s>Two high-ranking military officers have been arrested in the investigation into an assassination attempt on Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro.

The list of suspects — including an exiled opposition MP — has now risen to 34 and officials are seeking arrests in Colombia, Peru and the United States, Venezuela’s attorney general Tarek William Saab said.

“There are 14 detainees who have been presented and charged before the criminal courts,” he said.

Officials say an assassination plot involved two drones loaded with plastic explosives that detonated near Mr Maduro as he spoke on August 4 at a military celebration in the capital of Caracas.

The first explosion in front of the grandstand caused hundreds of soldiers standing in parade formation to scatter. Seven soldiers were injured, but Mr Maduro and several senior officials nearby were unharmed.

Mr Saab said that the two detained officers include a general in the Venezuelan National Guard.

A 29-year-old opposition MP, Juan Requesens, is also under arrest and charged with treason and attempted homicide.

Relatives say he is jailed for being an outspoken critic of Mr Maduro’s government, but that he never participated in a crime.

Venezuelan officials are asking Colombia to extradite Julio Borges, a prominent opposition MP living in Bogota.</s>CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Prosecutors in Venezuela say they’ve arrested two high-ranking military officers suspected of participating in an attempt to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab said Tuesday that the list of suspects has risen to 34 — including a general, colonel and two lawmakers opposed to Maduro’s government.

Officials say an assassination plot involved two drones loaded with plastic explosives that detonated near Maduro as he spoke this month at a military celebration.

Saab says that so far 14 people have been arrested.

The two detained officers include a general in the Venezuelan National Guard.

A 29-year-old opposition lawmaker has also has been arrested and charged with treason and attempted homicide.

Venezuelan officials are asking Colombia to extradite Julio Borges, a prominent opposition lawmaker living in Bogota.
Venezuelan authorities arrest a military general, a colonel, and a dozen others in connection to a failed assassination attempt on President Nicolás Maduro.