President Maduro (centre) and his wife Cilia Flores (left) react to a loud bang during the military event

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro says he has survived an assassination attempt involving explosive drones.

Mr Maduro was speaking at a military event in Caracas when the alleged attack occurred.

Live footage of his speech shows the president suddenly looking upwards - startled - and dozens of soldiers running away.

Mr Maduro has blamed Colombia for the attack - something denied by Bogota as a "baseless" accusation.

Seven soldiers were injured, and several people were later arrested, the Venezuelan authorities said.

What is known about the alleged attack?

The incident happened when Mr Maduro was speaking at an event to mark the 81st anniversary of the national army.

Two drones loaded with explosives went off near the president's stand, Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said.

Mr Maduro later said in a national address: "A flying object exploded near me, a big explosion. Seconds later there was a second explosion."

Photos on social media showed bodyguards protecting Mr Maduro with bulletproof shields after the alleged attack.

Mr Maduro accused neighbouring Colombia and elements within the US of instigating "a right-wing plot" to kill him.

He added that he had "no doubt" Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was "behind this attack".

The Venezuelan leader, who has previously accused the US of plotting against him, provided no evidence to back his claim.

The Colombian government has denied any involvement, saying there is "no basis" to Mr Maduro's allegations.

By contrast, Mr Rodriguez accused Venezuela's right-wing opposition of carrying out the attack.

"After losing the vote, they failed again," Mr Rodriguez said.

He was referring to May's presidential elections, where Mr Maduro was re-elected for another six-year term.

However, Hasler Inglesias, a youth leader with the opposition Voluntad Popular Party, told the BBC: "We didn't know what was happening. It's hard to believe that the opposition is going to make an attempt when they have never made an attempt in this way in 20 years."

Meanwhile, a little-known group called Soldiers in T-shirts said on social media that it was behind the alleged attack.

It said it had planned to fly two explosives-laden drones at Mr Maduro, but they were shot down by the military.

The claim was not backed up by any evidence, and the group did not respond to media requests for comment.

To add further to the confusion, firefighters at the scene disputed the government's version of events, the Associated Press reports.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, three of them said the incident was actually a gas tank explosion inside an apartment, but did not provide further details, the news agency says.

There are still lots of unanswered questions in this, the latest plot twist in surreal Venezuela.

President Maduro and his people often accuse the opposition, Colombia or the US of trying to sabotage his government.

Much like last year when a helicopter attacked the Supreme Court in what Nicolás Maduro called a "terrorist" attack, conspiracy theories will abound - and already different versions of events are being circulated.

In a country where it's hard to operate as a journalist and where freedom of speech isn't respected, getting to the truth is hard.

What many people fear though is that the government will use this incident to justify a crackdown on any political opponents.

Has anything similar happened before?

In June 2017, a helicopter attacked and dropped grenades on Venezuela's Supreme Court.

Oscar Pérez, a rogue elite helicopter pilot, claimed he carried out the helicopter attack and called on Venezuelans to rise up against the government of President Maduro.

He was killed by police in a siege near Caracas in January.

Mr Maduro has managed to split opinion almost as much as his predecessor in office, Hugo Chávez.

Since assuming office in 2013, Mr Maduro's administration has drawn widespread condemnation from a string of nations worldwide for undermining democracy and violating human rights in his country.

His opponents paint him as a ruthless despot who detains his political rivals on overly harsh charges pressed by a judiciary under his party's control, while his followers say he is protecting the country from another coup.

His re-election in May came amid a deep economic crisis which has been driving hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans from the oil-rich country.

However, there is still a loyal core of people who support Mr Maduro and his United Socialist Party (PSUV), saying Venezuela's problems are caused not by the government but by imperialist forces such as the US.</s>CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Latest on Venezuela's announcement of a drone attack aimed at President Nicolas Maduro (all times local):

People living near the site of what appeared to be an assassination attempt against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro say they saw a drone crashing into an apartment building as explosions occurred during the event.

Officials say attackers flew drones loaded with explosives toward the president during an open-air military ceremony that was broadcast on live television. Maduro wasn't injured.

Witnesses interviewed by The Associated Press on Sunday confirmed seeing at least one drone apparently linked to an explosion.

One showed a cellphone video of a drone hovering over a residential street two blocks away and then crashing into a building. While the video doesn't show an explosion, the witness said it fell and then exploded, starting a fire.

Another resident apparently saw the same drone. Maerum Gonzalez says she heard a thundering explosion and in terror ran to her fifth-floor balcony. She says she saw a drone strike the same building mentioned by the other witness and then fall. Moments later she heard a second explosion and saw black smoke rising.

President Donald Trump's national security adviser says the U.S. played no role in the apparent assassination attempt on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuelan officials say drones armed with explosives detonated while Maduro was delivering a speech to hundreds of soldiers being broadcast live on television.

Trump's adviser, John Bolton, says he can state "unequivocally" that "there was no U.S. government involvement in this at all."

As to what happened in Caracas, Bolton said "it could be a lot of things from a pretext set up by the Maduro regime itself to something else."

Maduro on Saturday did not directly blame the U.S. government, pointing instead at Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. But he asserted that the "intellectual authors" and financiers behind the plan live in Florida. And he said the attack's goal "is what U.S. imperialism is seeking" — "a Venezuela in conflict, in civil war."

He asked Trump to arrest the terrorists.

Apparently in response, Bolton said " ''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."</s>Venezuela's government says several explosions heard at a military event were an attempted attack on President Maduro. He said Maduro is safe and unharmed but that seven people were injured.

Venezuela's government says several explosions heard at a military event were an attempted attack on President Maduro. He said Maduro is safe and unharmed but that seven people were injured. AP Photo - Fernando Llano

VENEZUELAN President Nicolas Maduro has narrowly escaped a series of explosions at a public event.

Several drones with explosives detonated close to the country's leader while he was giving a speech broadcast on national television, according to the country's Information Minister.

State television channel NTN24 showed Mr Maduro abruptly cut short during a speech in the capital of Caracas on Saturday.

At one point in the footage, he and others suddenly look upwards, appearing startled.

Dozens of soldiers in formation are then seen running in different directions before the broadcast was abruptly cut off.

Minister of Communication Jorge Rodriguez described it as an attempted hit job on the leftist leader.

"This is an attack against President Nicolas Maduro," Minister of Communication Jorge Rodriguez said in a brief televised appearance after the event. "All of the work we have done immediately after has allowed us to establish with evidence that it was an assassination attempt."

Mr Maduro was unharmed, but seven National Guard soldiers were injured, the Minister said.

He did not say who was responsible, or whether the drones had dropped bombs or been used as missiles on the leader.

But firefighteers have disputed the government's version of events, denying there was an assassination attempt on the leader.

Three officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said the incident was actually a gas tank explosion inside an apartment.

Smoke could be seen coming out of a building window at the site of the incident.

Mr Maduro had been giving a speech during the celebration of the Nation Guard's 81st anniversary, wearing the presidential banner.

"To the conscious Venezuela, we are going to bet for the good of our country, the hour of the economic recovery has come and we need...' Mr Maduro was saying before the cameras suddenly moved away from him.

He was standing next to his wife Cilia Flores and several high-ranking military officials for the televised event.

More to come...</s>CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Latest on Venezuela's announcement of a drone attack aimed at President Nicolas Maduro (all times local):

People living near the site of what appeared to be an assassination attempt against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro say they saw a drone crashing into an apartment building as explosions occurred during the event.

Officials say attackers flew drones loaded with explosives toward the president during an open-air military ceremony that was broadcast on live television. Maduro wasn't injured.

Witnesses interviewed by The Associated Press on Sunday confirmed seeing at least one drone apparently linked to an explosion.

One showed a cellphone video of a drone hovering over a residential street two blocks away and then crashing into a building. While the video doesn't show an explosion, the witness said it fell and then exploded, starting a fire.

Another resident apparently saw the same drone. Maerum Gonzalez says she heard a thundering explosion and in terror ran to her fifth-floor balcony. She says she saw a drone strike the same building mentioned by the other witness and then fall. Moments later she heard a second explosion and saw black smoke rising.

President Donald Trump's national security adviser says the U.S. played no role in the apparent assassination attempt on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuelan officials say drones armed with explosives detonated while Maduro was delivering a speech to hundreds of soldiers being broadcast live on television.

Trump's adviser, John Bolton, says he can state "unequivocally" that "there was no U.S. government involvement in this at all."

As to what happened in Caracas, Bolton said "it could be a lot of things from a pretext set up by the Maduro regime itself to something else."

Maduro on Saturday did not directly blame the U.S. government, pointing instead at Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. But he asserted that the "intellectual authors" and financiers behind the plan live in Florida. And he said the attack's goal "is what U.S. imperialism is seeking" — "a Venezuela in conflict, in civil war."

He asked Trump to arrest the terrorists.

Apparently in response, Bolton said " ''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."</s>CARACAS (Reuters) - Drones loaded with explosives detonated close to a military event where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was giving a speech on Saturday, but he and the rest of the government escaped unharmed in what Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said was an “attack” against the leftist leader. Seven National Guard soldiers were injured, Rodriguez added.

A broadcast by Maduro was cut short during an outdoor speech at a military event in Caracas and soldiers were seen running before the televised transmission was cut off.

While Maduro was speaking about Venezuela’s economy, the audio suddenly went and he and others on the podium looked up, startled. The camera then panned to scores of soldiers who started running, before the transmission was cut.

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

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

Last year, rogue police officer Oscar Perez hijacked a helicopter and fired at government buildings in what he said was an action against a dictator. Perez was hunted down and killed by Venezuelan forces in January.

A National Guard captain, Juan Carlos Caguaripano, early last year attacked a military base with a group of current and former military officials. He was captured soon after.</s>EXPLOSIVE drone-like devices went off as Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro was giving a live, televised speech in his country's capital Caracas, the country's communications minister said.

Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said several detonated near the socialist leader, but he was safe and unharmed. Seven people were injured, he added.

Mr Maduro was "fine" and continuing to work, he said.

The Venezuelan leader was seen speaking at an outdoor military event, when the attack took place.

"To the conscious Venezuela, we are going to bet for the good of our country, the hour of the economic recovery has come and we need," he was saying before he and others suddenly looked up startled.

He was standing next to his wife Cilia Flores and several high-ranking military officials for the event. Ms Flores was caught wincing on film, and both she and Maduro look up after an unidentified sound.

The audio then went and the the cameras quickly moved away from Mr Maduro.

The soldiers lined up in ranks then began running and the transmission was cut without explanation.

More than 100 people have been killed in the South American nation in recent months during a series of anti-government demonstrations. The opposition blames Maduro for chronic food and medicine shortages amid an economic collapse.

Earlier this year a report by the United Nations human rights office said that government security forces in the country were carrying out unjustified killings without any apparent consequences, because the rule of law was "virtually absent".

It cited "credible, shocking" accounts of extrajudicial killings of young men during crime-fighting operations in poor neighbourhoods conducted without arrest warrants.

Security forces would tamper with the scene so that there appeared to have been an exchange

of fire, it said.

It called on the government to bring perpetrators to justice and said it was sending its report to the international criminal court (ICC), whose prosecutor opened a preliminary investigation in February.

"The failure to hold security forces accountable for such serious human rights violations suggests that the rule of law is virtually absent in Venezuela," said Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN high commissioner for human rights. "The impunity must end."</s>Venezuela's government says several explosions heard at a military event were an attempted attack on President Maduro. He said Maduro is safe and unharmed but that seven people were injured.

Venezuela's government says several explosions heard at a military event were an attempted attack on President Maduro. He said Maduro is safe and unharmed but that seven people were injured. AP Photo - Fernando Llano

VENEZUELAN President Nicolas Maduro has narrowly escaped a series of explosions at a public event.

Several drones with explosives detonated close to the country's leader while he was giving a speech broadcast on national television, according to the country's Information Minister.

State television channel NTN24 showed Mr Maduro abruptly cut short during a speech in the capital of Caracas on Saturday.

At one point in the footage, he and others suddenly look upwards, appearing startled.

Dozens of soldiers in formation are then seen running in different directions before the broadcast was abruptly cut off.

Minister of Communication Jorge Rodriguez described it as an attempted hit job on the leftist leader.

"This is an attack against President Nicolas Maduro," Minister of Communication Jorge Rodriguez said in a brief televised appearance after the event. "All of the work we have done immediately after has allowed us to establish with evidence that it was an assassination attempt."

Mr Maduro was unharmed, but seven National Guard soldiers were injured, the Minister said.

He did not say who was responsible, or whether the drones had dropped bombs or been used as missiles on the leader.

But firefighteers have disputed the government's version of events, denying there was an assassination attempt on the leader.

Three officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said the incident was actually a gas tank explosion inside an apartment.

Smoke could be seen coming out of a building window at the site of the incident.

Mr Maduro had been giving a speech during the celebration of the Nation Guard's 81st anniversary, wearing the presidential banner.

"To the conscious Venezuela, we are going to bet for the good of our country, the hour of the economic recovery has come and we need...' Mr Maduro was saying before the cameras suddenly moved away from him.

He was standing next to his wife Cilia Flores and several high-ranking military officials for the televised event.

More to come...</s>Drones loaded with explosives detonated close to a military event where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was giving a speech on Saturday, but he and the rest of the government escaped unharmed in what Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said was an "attack" against the leftist leader.

CARACAS: Drones loaded with explosives detonated close to a military event where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was giving a speech on Saturday, but he and the rest of the government escaped unharmed in what Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said was an "attack" against the leftist leader. Seven National Guard soldiers were injured, Rodriguez added.

A broadcast by Maduro was cut short during an outdoor speech at a military event in Caracas and soldiers were seen running before the televised transmission was cut off.

While Maduro was speaking about Venezuela's economy, the audio suddenly went and he and others on the podium looked up, startled. The camera then panned to scores of soldiers who started running, before the transmission was cut.

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

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

Last year, rogue police officer Oscar Perez hijacked a helicopter and fired at government buildings in what he said was an action against a dictator. Perez was hunted down and killed by Venezuelan forces in January.

A National Guard captain, Juan Carlos Caguaripano, early last year attacked a military base with a group of current and former military officials. He was captured soon after.</s>Caracas: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has survived an assassination attempt at a military event in Caracas.

Witnesses said the Venezuelan president was apparently attacked by several explosive laden drones on Saturday.

The Venezuelan information minister says the president is fine.

State television Maduro abruptly cutting short a speech, causing hundreds of soldiers present to break ranks and scatter.

Maduro wore a presidential banner and was in the capital of Caracas during a celebration of the National Guard's 81st anniversary.</s>CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Latest on Venezuela's announcement of a drone attack aimed at President Nicolas Maduro (all times local):

People living near the site of what appeared to be an assassination attempt against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro say they saw a drone crashing into an apartment building as explosions occurred during the event.

Officials say attackers flew drones loaded with explosives toward the president during an open-air military ceremony that was broadcast on live television. Maduro wasn't injured.

Witnesses interviewed by The Associated Press on Sunday confirmed seeing at least one drone apparently linked to an explosion.

One showed a cellphone video of a drone hovering over a residential street two blocks away and then crashing into a building. While the video doesn't show an explosion, the witness said it fell and then exploded, starting a fire.

Another resident apparently saw the same drone. Maerum Gonzalez says she heard a thundering explosion and in terror ran to her fifth-floor balcony. She says she saw a drone strike the same building mentioned by the other witness and then fall. Moments later she heard a second explosion and saw black smoke rising.

President Donald Trump's national security adviser says the U.S. played no role in the apparent assassination attempt on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuelan officials say drones armed with explosives detonated while Maduro was delivering a speech to hundreds of soldiers being broadcast live on television.

Trump's adviser, John Bolton, says he can state "unequivocally" that "there was no U.S. government involvement in this at all."

As to what happened in Caracas, Bolton said "it could be a lot of things from a pretext set up by the Maduro regime itself to something else."

Maduro on Saturday did not directly blame the U.S. government, pointing instead at Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. But he asserted that the "intellectual authors" and financiers behind the plan live in Florida. And he said the attack's goal "is what U.S. imperialism is seeking" — "a Venezuela in conflict, in civil war."

He asked Trump to arrest the terrorists.

Apparently in response, Bolton said " ''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."
Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro survives what he claims is an assassination attempt involving drones while speaking at a military event in Caracas. Eight people are injured.