CARACAS (Reuters) - At least one explosion rocked a military event where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was giving a speech on Saturday and the government said it was a failed assassination attempt involving drones carrying explosives.

Maduro said “everything points” to a right-wing plot that initial investigation suggested was linked to Colombia and the U.S. state of Florida, where many Venezuelan exiles live. Several perpetrators were caught, he said, without elaborating.

Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said drones loaded with explosives detonated close to the military event in downtown Caracas. A Venezuelan who was visiting family nearby told Reuters she heard two explosions.

Maduro, a leftist who replaced President Hugo Chavez after his death in 2013, was unharmed but Rodriguez said seven National Guard soldiers were injured.

“This was an assassination attempt, they tried to assassinate me,” Maduro said in a later televised address.

A little-known group called the “National Movement of Soldiers in T-shirts” claimed responsibility for the attack. In a series of posts on social media, the group said it had planned to fly two drones but that snipers shot them down.

“We demonstrated that they are vulnerable. We didn’t have success today, but it’s just a question of time,” said the group, which says it was founded in 2014 to bring together all of Venezuela’s “groups of resistance.”

The group did not respond to several requests for information from Reuters.

Maduro won a new six-year term in May but his main rivals disavowed the election and alleged massive irregularities.

Venezuela is suffering under the fifth year of a severe economic crisis that has sparked malnutrition, hyperinflation and mass emigration.

Maduro named Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos as being behind the attack, but gave no evidence to back that up.

“The name of Juan Manuel Santos is behind this attack ... the initial investigations point to Bogota,” Maduro said.

A Colombian government source said Maduro’s allegation was “absurd” and that Santos was celebrating his granddaughter’s baptism on Saturday. “He is not thinking of anything else, least of all bringing down foreign governments,” the source said.

During the incident, Maduro was speaking about Venezuela’s economy in an address when audio of the live television coverage was suddenly cut off.

Maduro and others on the podium looked up startled and the cameras panned to soldiers who had been lined up in formation in the street. Scores of them ran in panic away from one area.

Photographs on social media appeared to show bodyguards shielding Maduro with black bulletproof panels. A photograph also showed an injured military official clutching his bloody head and being held up by colleagues.

OPEC member Venezuela’s once-thriving socialist economy has collapsed since the 2014 fall of oil prices.

The self-described “son” of Chavez, former bus driver Maduro says he is battling an “imperialist” plot to destroy socialism and take over Venezuela’s oil. Opponents accuse him of authoritarianism, saying he has destroyed a once-wealthy economy and ruthlessly crushed dissent.

Maduro said initial investigations indicated that “several of those intellectually responsible and the financiers of this attack live in the United States, in the state of Florida.” He called on U.S. President Donald Trump to “fight these terrorist groups.”

A senior State Department official said: “We’ve heard the reports coming out of Venezuela. We are carefully following the situation.”

Last year, a rogue Venezuelan police officer hijacked a helicopter and fired at government buildings in what he said was an action against a dictator. The officer was hunted down and killed by Venezuelan forces.</s>Several drones armed with explosives were detonated near Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas Saturday in what he called an assassination attempt carried out by "far-right" opponents.A government official termed it an "attempt against the president."Maduro, who was unharmed, was speaking at a celebration of the 81st anniversary of the National Guard, when detonations from "various drones" near the presidential area and along the parade route occurred, Jorge Rodriguez, the Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information, said on Venezuelan state television."This was an attempt to kill me," Maduro said in a TV address to the country following the attack. "Today they attempted to assassinate me."I stand, alive and victorious, ready to follow the battles and fights that touch me forever," he added.Maduro said that he believes the Venezuelan far-right worked with the Colombian far-right in the attack. He also said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is responsible.He said that some of the orchestrators of the attack have been captured, and evidence has been seized."This was an attempt against the president," Rodriguez said. "They failed and will continue to fail. He is in perfect health and shape."Maduro, who Rodriguez said was evacuated from the scene, met with his generals and cabinet members after the explosion.In addition to far-right factions in the country, he blamed others in Bogota and Miami, and said he hoped that President Donald Trump would help "fight the terrorist groups."The minister said seven people were injured and were being treated for unspecified injuries at hospitals.Video from state television shows Maduro, wearing his presidential banner, speaking about the economy when he hears a noise. His wife, standing to his right, clearly ducks and looks up at the sky, apparently in the direction of the explosion.The soldiers lined up in front of Maduro can be seen breaking ranks and running before the transmission was cut."The people are with the president," Rodriguez said.Maduro has served as the president of Venezuela since 2013 when he took over from strongman Hugo Chavez. Maduro was a close ally of the late Chavez, serving as president of the National Assembly, his foreign minister and vice president.He has faced a host of crises since he took office as his country has dealt with severe economic issues, hunger, rising crime and inflation.The country is given a Level 3 travel advisory, its second-highest, by the U.S. State Department, meaning Americans should not travel to the country. U.S. Embassy family members were evacuated in October 2017.The U.S. issued a new warning for Sunday, following the attack, saying, "U.S. government personnel have been instructed to shelter in place until further notice. U.S. citizens should seek secure shelter, keep a low profile, avoid crowds, and avoid demonstrations."</s>Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, speaking shortly after an attempted attack during his Saturday public address, has said some of the perpetrators have already been captured.

Maduro, without any sign of injury, delivered a televised address about two hours after his public speech at a military event was interrupted by loud explosions. Venezuelan officials said explosive drones were detonated near the president in a failed assassination attempt.

Describing the incident, Maduro said a flying object exploded in front of him.

“I thought it was a pyrotechnic fire, in a matter of micro seconds there was a second explosion to my right. You could see people running because they felt the shockwave,” he said.

An investigation into the incident has been launched and some of the suspected perpetrators apprehended, according to Maduro. The president accused far-right opposition and external actors.

“I have no doubt that everything points to the Venezuelan ultra-right in alliance with the Colombian extreme right, and the name of [Colombian President] Juan Manuel Santos is behind this attack,” he said.

Relations have been tense between Caracas and Bogota in recent years, with the Venezuelan leader earlier describing Colombia as “lackey” of the US. Colombia’s Santos did say in an in interview with AFP this week that the days of Maduro in charge of Venezuela were numbered.

“If you put the two together, you get a drone attack against the President of Venezuela,” Dr. Francisco Dominguez, a senior lecturer at Middlesex University, told RT.

President Maduro also claimed that the first results of the investigation of the attack showed that several of those, who paid for the attack reside in Florida, US.

READ MORE: Caracas explosions were household gas, not drones sent to kill Maduro, AP sources claim

All the attempts to topple the authorities in Caracas “started in Colombia, but were also organized and orchestrated by the elements in the US… in the exiled Cuban community in Miami,” Dominguez said.

“Obviously, they haven’t been able to produce that coup d’etat and one gets a strong impression that they’re getting a bit desperate,” the academic said, referring to the attempt on Maduro’s life.

The means employed to carry out the attack also indicate that serious actors were involved, Dominguez added and not “an individual or a small guerilla force.”

The Venezuelan president said the attack has made him even more determined to continue on his course of “recovery, growth and prosperity,” which would help “turn around” the country’s ailing economy.

Colombia’s ministry of foreign affairs has rejected the allegations it has anything to do with the reported assault.

Venezuela’s economy is in dire straits, with hyperinflation heading for a dismal 1,000,000 percent by end of year. The US has been pressuring the country with sanctions and leveraging its allies to do the same, claiming Maduro is a dictator who came to power illegitimately and is starving his people. US President Donald Trump has openly considered a military option against Venezuela, and calls for a coup have made it to the headlines of US mainstream media.

There have been violent opposition protests in Venezuela, which Maduro believes are being instigated from abroad.</s>Several drones armed with explosives were detonated near Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas Saturday in what he called an assassination attempt carried out by "far-right" opponents.A government official termed it an "attempt against the president."Maduro, who was unharmed, was speaking at a celebration of the 81st anniversary of the National Guard, when detonations from "various drones" near the presidential area and along the parade route occurred, Jorge Rodriguez, the Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information, said on Venezuelan state television."This was an attempt to kill me," Maduro said in a TV address to the country following the attack. "Today they attempted to assassinate me."I stand, alive and victorious, ready to follow the battles and fights that touch me forever," he added.Maduro said that he believes the Venezuelan far-right worked with the Colombian far-right in the attack. He also said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is responsible.He said that some of the orchestrators of the attack have been captured, and evidence has been seized."This was an attempt against the president," Rodriguez said. "They failed and will continue to fail. He is in perfect health and shape."Maduro, who Rodriguez said was evacuated from the scene, met with his generals and cabinet members after the explosion.In addition to far-right factions in the country, he blamed others in Bogota and Miami, and said he hoped that President Donald Trump would help "fight the terrorist groups."The minister said seven people were injured and were being treated for unspecified injuries at hospitals.Video from state television shows Maduro, wearing his presidential banner, speaking about the economy when he hears a noise. His wife, standing to his right, clearly ducks and looks up at the sky, apparently in the direction of the explosion.The soldiers lined up in front of Maduro can be seen breaking ranks and running before the transmission was cut."The people are with the president," Rodriguez said.Maduro has served as the president of Venezuela since 2013 when he took over from strongman Hugo Chavez. Maduro was a close ally of the late Chavez, serving as president of the National Assembly, his foreign minister and vice president.He has faced a host of crises since he took office as his country has dealt with severe economic issues, hunger, rising crime and inflation.The country is given a Level 3 travel advisory, its second-highest, by the U.S. State Department, meaning Americans should not travel to the country. U.S. Embassy family members were evacuated in October 2017.The U.S. issued a new warning for Sunday, following the attack, saying, "U.S. government personnel have been instructed to shelter in place until further notice. U.S. citizens should seek secure shelter, keep a low profile, avoid crowds, and avoid demonstrations."</s>CARACAS: A grenade attack, a rebel raid and now an alleged drone bombing: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his government have been targeted several times since he entered office in 2013.

Drone 'attack'

 On Saturday, Maduro said he had escaped an "assassination" attempt using an explosive-laden drone during a Caracas military parade, which the government said injured seven soldiers.

The government pointed the blame at "the ultra-right wing" -- its term for the opposition -- but Maduro also accused Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos and financiers in the United States.

He added some of those involved were arrested and an investigation was under way.

Venezuelan state television images showed Maduro looking up disconcertedly in the middle of a speech having heard a bang, before members of the country's National Guard lined up in the parade area suddenly scattered.

No drones could be seen in the television broadcast, which showed bodyguards jumping in front of Maduro to protect him with flexible ballistic shields. The broadcast was quickly cut.

Army base raid

 On August 6, 2017, an ex-officer and a lieutenant led 20 uniformed rebels on a weekend raid to grab weapons from an army base in the northwestern city of Valencia.

Maduro said on state television at the time that the attack saw a three-hour firefight in which two of the rebels died and eight were captured. The rest escaped with weapons.

The group was commanded by ex-National Guard captain, Juan Carlos Caguaripano.

ALSO READ | Venezuelan President Maduro says he escaped drone 'assassination' attempt, blames Colombia

Just before the raid, Caguaripano posted a video online declaring it part of a "legitimate rebellion... to reject the murderous tyranny of Nicolas Maduro." He had been discharged from the military in 2014 after multiple disciplinary offenses.

Maduro and the government branded the raid a "terrorist act" rather than an uprising within the military's ranks.

Rebel pilot

 On June 27, 2017, at the height of anti-government street protests that left 125 dead, helicopter pilot Oscar Perez and unidentified accomplices flew over Caracas in a stolen police helicopter and dropped four grenades on the Supreme Court before opening fire on the interior ministry. There were no casualties.

After the attack, Perez published several videos on social media demanding Maduro's resignation. He said his goal was to "re-establish constitutional order." He appeared alongside four, hooded, heavily-armed men.

Perez, a 36-year-old former elite police officer and actor, spent several months in hiding as Venezuela's most-wanted man.

In December 2017, he claimed to be behind the theft of 26 rifles from a military armory. He posted videos reportedly recorded during the robbery in Laguneta de La Montana, in northern Miranda state, next to Caracas.

Then, on January 15 of this year, Perez was killed alongside six accomplices in an operation to capture him on the outskirts of Caracas.

Others were detained following a gunbattle lasting several hours. A bloodied Perez posted videos on Instagram during the gunbattle, saying he and his men wanted to surrender but were pinned down by snipers.</s>Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro said he survived an assassination attempt involving explosive-laden drones and blamed the United States and Colombia for the alleged attack.

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton Sunday denied any U.S. role in the incident.

In a televised speech late Saturday, Maduro said "everything points" to a right-wing plot he claims originated in neighboring Colombia. He said God, the people and the country's armed forces saved him from being killed.

"That drone was coming for me but there was a shield of love," Maduro said. "I am sure I will live for many more years."

He added that he has "no doubt that the name [Colombian President] Juan Manuel Santos is behind this attack." The French news agency (AFP) quotes a source in the Colombian government as saying the charge against President Santos are "without foundation."

Maduro said initial investigations "indicate that various of those financing it live in the United States, in the state of Florida. I hope that President Donald Trump is ready to fight these terrorist groups."

The Venezuelan leader said several perpetrators were caught, but he did not provide further details.

While Maduro was speaking about Venezuela's economy at the event, television images showed Maduro and others looking startled after the sound of multiple explosions could be heard. A moment later, the video showed soldiers breaking ranks and scurrying for cover.

Venezuela has been in turmoil for several years. Once one of Latin America's wealthiest countries, years of poor governing and failed social policies have eroded the nation's stability resulting in social strife and runaway inflation.

Maduro was elected in May to a new six-year term in a result widely denounced by the opposition and international observers as illegitimate and rife with irregularities.</s>CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro dodged an apparent assassination attempt when drones armed with explosives detonated while he was delivering a speech to hundreds of soldiers being broadcast live on television, officials said.

Caught by surprise mid-speech, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, looked up at the sky and winced Saturday after hearing the sound of an explosion pierce the air.

“This was an attempt to kill me,” he said later in an impassioned retelling of the events. “Today they attempted to assassinate me.”

Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said the incident took place shortly after 5:30 p.m. as Maduro was celebrating the National Guard’s 81st anniversary. The visibly shaken head of state said he saw a “flying device” that exploded before his eyes. He thought it might be a pyrotechnics display in honor of the event.

Within seconds, Maduro said he heard a second explosion and pandemonium ensued. Bodyguards escorted Maduro out of the event and television footage showed uniformed soldiers standing in formation quickly scattering from the scene.

He said the “far right” working in coordination with detractors in Bogota and Miami, including Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, were responsible. Some of the “material authors” of the apparent attack have been detained.

“The investigation will get to the bottom of this,” he said. “No matter who falls.”

Venezuela’s government routinely accuses opposition activists of plotting to attack and overthrow Maduro, a deeply unpopular leader who was recently elected to a new term in office in a vote decried by dozens of nations. Maduro has steadily moved to concentrate power as the nation reels from a crippling economic crisis.

In the midst of near-daily protests last year, a rogue police officer flew a stolen helicopter over the capital and launched grenades at several government buildings. Oscar Perez was later killed in a deadly gun battle after over six months on the lam.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab said the attempted assassination targeted not only Maduro, but rather the military’s entire high command on stage with the president.

Prosecutors have already launched their investigation and obtained critical details from the suspects in custody, said Saab, adding that he would give more details Monday.

“We are in the midst of a wave of civil war in Venezuela,” Saab said.

Firefighters at the scene of the blast disputed the government’s version of events. Three local authorities said there had been a gas tank explosion inside an apartment near Maduro’s speech where smoke could be seen streaming out of a window. They provided no further details on how they had reached that conclusion.

A Colombian official with the president’s office described Maduro’s claims that Santos was involved in the attack as baseless.

Adding to the confusion, a little known group calling itself Soldiers in T-shirts claimed responsibility, saying it planned to fly two drones loaded with explosives at the president, but government soldiers shot them down before reaching its target. The Associated Press could not independently verify the authenticity of the message.

“We showed that they are vulnerable,” the group said in a tweet. “It was not successful today, but it is just a matter of time.”

The organization did not respond to a message from The Associated Press.

David Smilde, a senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America who has spent decades researching Venezuela, said the incident did not appear to be a staged attack by Maduro’s government for political gain.

The “amateurish” attack prompted embarrassing images of Maduro cut off mid-sentence with droves of soldiers running away in fear, making the president appear vulnerable, Smilde noted. Despite the optics, Smilde said he suspected that Maduro would nonetheless find a way to take advantage of it.

“He will use it to concentrate power,” Smilde said. “Whoever did this, he’ll use it to further restrict liberty and purge the government and armed forces.”

The event had been just one more of many Maduro routinely holds with members of the military, a key faction of Venezuelan society whose loyalty he has clung to as the nation struggles with crippling hyperinflation and shortages of food and medicine.

“We are going to bet for the good of our country,” Maduro declared triumphantly moments before the explosion. “The hour of the economy recovery has come.”

Images being shared on social media showed officers surrounding Maduro with what appeared to be a black bullet-proof barrier as they escorted him from the site. Maduro said at no point did he panic, confident the military would protect him.

“That drone came after me,” he said. “But there was a shield of love that always protects us. I’m sure I’ll live for many more years.”

Armario reported from Miami, Florida. Associated Press video journalist Clbyburn Saint John contributed to this report.</s>Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Saturday he escaped an "assassination" attempt using an explosive-laden drone, after a live broadcast showed him looking confused when a bang went off during a Caracas military parade and dozens of soldiers scuttling for safety.

His government said seven soldiers were wounded in the incident.

"It was an attack to kill me, they tried to assassinate me today," Maduro said in a later state broadcast, speaking of a "flying object (that) exploded in front of me."

He said some of those involved were arrested and an investigation under way.

Maduro accused neighboring Colombia and unidentified "financiers" in the United States, while some of his officials blamed Venezuela's opposition.

Colombia denied any involvement. A senior Colombian official speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity said Maduro's accusation was "baseless."

Venezuelan state television images showed Maduro looking up disconcertedly in the middle of a speech Saturday when a bang was heard, then uniformed members of the country's National Guard lined up in the parade suddenly breaking ranks and scattering.

No drones could be seen in the television broadcast, which showed bodyguards jumping in front of Maduro to protect him with flexible ballistic shields. The broadcast was quickly cut.

"This is an attack against President Nicolas Maduro," Communication Minister Jorge Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said there was "an explosive charge... detonated close to the presidential podium" and in several other spots along the parade held in central Caracas.

Maduro "came out of it completely unharmed," he said.

The government pointed the finger at "the ultra-right wing" -- its term for the opposition.

But Maduro said: "I have no doubt that the name (Colombian President) Juan Manuel Santos is behind this attack."

He added that initial investigations "indicate that various of those financing it live in the United States, in the state of Florida. I hope that President Donald Trump is ready to fight these terrorist groups."

The parade Maduro attended was to mark the one-year anniversary of the Constitutional Assembly, a legislative body packed with Maduro loyalists that arrogated powers from the opposition-ruled National Assembly.

The head of the assembly, Diosdado Cabello, tweeted that Maduro and the assembled military chiefs had survived a "terrorist attack" he blamed on the opposition.

"The right insists on violence to take areas it can't through votes," he wrote.

Maduro has remained in power over Venezuela, a major oil exporting nation, despite a collapsing economy and a long-running political crisis that has seen his country isolated internationally.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have fled the country, where food and medicine are in very short supply, and where inflation this year could reach as high as one million percent according to the International Monetary Fund.

Maduro, a 55-year-old Socialist leader who took over from his late mentor Hugo Chavez in 2013, has effectively sidelined the fractured opposition through control of the courts and the electoral body -- and undinting support from the military, which holds key posts in his government.

Maduro often accuses the opposition and the United States of working together to foment a "coup" to topple him.

He says the economic malaise gripping Venezuela is an "economic war" and any unrest is plotted by foreign powers.

A year ago, four months of street protests flared against his authority that were put down by robust action from the army, the National Guard and police, resulting in 125 people killed.

One of the key reasons for the protests was the creation of the Constitutional Assembly, which aimed to short-circuit the National Assembly in which the opposition won a supermajority in 2015 elections.

Last year, the president said the new body replaced the elected legislature.

The Supreme Court declared the National Assembly dissolved. Although it continues to operate, its decisions are routinely annulled.

The United States and other countries have expressed alarm at the loyalist structure propping up Maduro, saying Venezuelan democracy was being undermined.

Maduro this year brought forward to May presidential elections that -- after they were boycotted by the opposition and key opposition figures were declared ineligible -- handed him a new six-year term.</s>In brief: Using drones for illegal activities is nothing new, but this weekend may have seen UAVs used in an attempted crime on a whole different level. Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela, said he survived an alleged assassination attempt when drones carrying explosives detonated near him as he gave a speech.

We’ve heard reports of commercial UAVs helping to deliver drugs to prisoners, survey potential robbery locations, spy on people, and even disrupt an FBI hostage raid, but this could be the first time they’ve been used in an assassination attempt on a country’s leader.

Maduro was speaking at a military event in Caracas on August 4 when the apparent attack took place. Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said one of the explosives went off near the president, though he was unhurt. Seven National Guard soldiers are reported to have been injured.

The event was being shown live on national television. The audio was cut off at the time of the explosion, followed by footage of soldiers running away. Images on social media show Maduro being protected by black bulletproof panels.

Maduro has often been criticized for policies that undermine democracy and violate human rights. Falling oil prices have pushed Venezuela into the middle of an economic crisis, and the President’s recent re-election brought claims of fraudulent polling. Rodriguez claimed Venezuela's right-wing opposition was behind the attack. "After losing the vote, they failed again," he said.

Maduro, however, said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was responsible, a claim the Colombian government has called “absurd.” He also alleged that elements within the US were part of "a right-wing plot" to kill him.

Maduro said initial investigations indicated that “several of those intellectually responsible and the financiers of this attack live in the United States, in the state of Florida.” He called on Donald Trump to fight these “terrorist groups.”

A group called Soldiers in T-shirts used social media to claim responsibility for the drone attack, though it has offered no evidence. It claims the UAVs were shot down before reaching Maduro.

If this really was a drone attack—some authorities claim it was a gas tank explosion—it could mark the start of a practice where non-military UAVs are used in assassination attempts on high-profile targets.</s>The government said seven soldiers were wounded in the alleged attack Saturday, blamed on Colombia by Maduro and later claimed by a mysterious rebel group.

“I am fine, I am alive, and after this attack I’m more determined than ever to follow the path of the revolution,” Maduro said defiantly of the incident, from which he escaped unharmed.

“Justice! Maximum punishment! And there will be no forgiveness,” he warned in an address to the nation, sparking fears of an anti-opposition offensive in a country already reportedly holding some 248 political prisoners.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Tarek William Saab, also present at the parade, said those arrested in connection with the incident would be identified on Monday.

“There will be a ruthless punishment,” he said.

Venezuelan state television images showed Maduro looking up disconcertedly in the middle of a speech having heard a bang, before members of the country’s National Guard lined up in the parade suddenly scattered.

“It was an attack to kill me, they tried to assassinate me today,” he said in a state broadcast, speaking of a “flying object (that) exploded in front of me.”

Communication Minister Jorge Rodriguez said there was “an explosive charge… detonated close to the presidential podium” and in several other spots along the parade held in central Caracas. Saab told CNN he saw a drone filming the event explode.

No drones could be seen in the television broadcast, which showed bodyguards jumping in front of Maduro to protect him with flexible ballistic shields. The broadcast was quickly cut.

Meanwhile, a policeman who requested anonymity told AFP that drones may have been released from a nearby apartment that suffered a fire after one exploded. However, other versions of events attributed the fire to the accidental explosion of a gas cylinder.

The government pointed the blame at “the ultra-right wing” — its term for the opposition.

But Maduro himself said: “I have no doubt that the name (outgoing Colombian President) Juan Manuel Santos is behind this attack.”

He added investigations pointed to financial backers who “live in the United States, in the state of Florida. I hope that President Donald Trump is ready to fight these terrorist groups.”

The Colombian foreign ministry denied involvement, saying the allegations were “absurd” and “lacked any foundations.”

A senior US State Department official said the White House was monitoring the situation closely, without commenting further. Elsewhere, Maduro’s allies Cuba and Bolivia condemned the incident.

Meanwhile, late Saturday, a civilian and military rebel group calling itself the “National Movement of Soldiers in T-shirts” claimed responsibility for the explosion.

“It is contrary to military honor to keep in government those who not only have forgotten the Constitution, but who have also made public office an obscene way to get rich,” the group said in a statement passed to US-based opposition journalist Patricia Poleo, who read it on her YouTube channel.

“If the purpose of a government is to achieve the greatest amount of happiness possible, we cannot tolerate that the population is suffering from hunger, that the sick do not have medicine, that the currency has no value, or that the education system neither educates or teaches, only indoctrinating communism,” the statement added.

The parade Maduro attended marked the one-year anniversary of the Constitutional Assembly, a legislative body packed with loyalists that arrogated powers from the opposition-ruled National Assembly.

Maduro has remained in power in oil-rich Venezuela despite a collapsing economy and a long-running political crisis that has seen the country isolated internationally.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have fled due to food and medicine shortages and hyperinflation that could reach one million percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Maduro, a 55-year-old Socialist leader who took over from his late mentor Hugo Chavez in 2013, has effectively sidelined the fractured opposition through control of the courts and the electoral body — and undinting support from the military, which holds key posts in his government.

After the explosion, he ordered the military to be on “maximum alert.”

He also warned the opposition that investigations will get to the bottom of the alleged attack, “whoever falls” in the process.

Maduro often accuses the opposition and the United States of working together to foment a “coup” to topple him.

This year he brought forward to May presidential elections — boycotted by the opposition — which handed him a new six-year term.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro blames an alleged assassination attempt on Colombia and Venezuelan exiles in the U.S. state of Florida.