As the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was giving a speech, a drone with a load of explosives detonated near a military event, but the President was lucky and escaped the incident in what the embattled leader called an assassination attempt.
Not less than seven people were wounded due to the incident on Saturday in the apparent attack that came during the speech of President Maduro as he celebrated the National Guard’s 81st anniversary in the capital, Caracas.
Later, commenting over the indent, President Maduro said, that all indication pointed out a right wing plot which was already suggested by an initial investigation that linked to Colombia and the US state of Florida, where many Venezuelan exiles live.
“This was an assassination attempt, they tried to assassinate me,” Maduro said in a televised address. “That drone was coming for me but there was a shield of love. I am sure I will live for many more years.”
The Interior Minister Nestor Reverol, later on Sunday said that six people were detained over the incident.
One of the arrested six suspects had a pending arrest warrant for a 2017 attack on a military base and second had been arrested in 2014 for taking part in anti-government street protests, he said.
Earlier, a less known group called the National Movement of Soldiers claimed responsibility of the incident. The group posted a series of posts on social media the group said that it planned to fly two drones but 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.
The group said that they formed it bring all different “groups of resistance” togather.
The attempted assassination was targeted, according to Attorney-General Tarek William Saab, towards all the military’s high command present on the stage with the president apart from the President.
An investigation have already been launched by the Prosecutors and they obtained important and crucial details from the suspects in custody, said Saab while adding that he would give more details on Monday.
“We are in the midst of a wave of civil war in Venezuela,” Saab said.
During the incident, state television was broadcasting Maduro’s speech live which was going on at the National Guard anniversary.
“We are going to bet for the good of our country,” Maduro declared triumphantly moments before the sound of an explosion pierced the air. “The hour of the economic recovery has come.”
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