Venezuelan opposition aide is seized, US and allies protest
Source: AP
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido’s top aide was taken away in the middle of the night by masked intelligence agents who broke down his door early Thursday, drawing condemnation from the United States and other countries pushing to oust President Nicolas Maduro.
Washington demanded the immediate release of Guaido chief of staff Roberto Marrero, whose whereabouts after the raid on his Caracas home were not immediately disclosed.
Marrero was detained as part of an operation against a “terrorist” cell conspiring against the Venezuelan government, Interior Minister Nestor Luis Reverol said on national television. Weapons were confiscated from Marrero and a bodyguard was also arrested, according to Reverol.
The arrest represented a sharp increase in police pressure on the opposition after a period of relative calm. Guaido, however, characterized the operation as a sign that Maduro is losing his grip on power in a country suffering from years of economic hardship and political polarization.
“Either he doesn’t dare to jail me, or he’s not in charge,” Guaido, the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, said during an appearance at a school. He also said some Venezuelan intelligence chiefs called him to say they weren’t involved, in what would suggest a split in their ranks.
Read more: https://www.apnews.com/dc2c5f751aa04454b79769d17748ee94
Such a shame. The weakness of a failed dictator
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