Venezuela: Maduro Regime Arrests Opposition Lawmakers for Drone Attack

The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Ben Kew

Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro has ordered the arrest of two opposition lawmakers for the drone attack on him that took place last Saturday.

In the attack on Saturday, two drones loaded with C4 detonated near Maduro as he spoke at a military parade in central Caracas. Images from live television showed Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores looking up at the sky in confusion before hundreds of soldiers ran away from the scene.

The regime has blamed Justice First lawmakers Juan Requesens and Julio Borges for involvement in a plan to kill Maduro, as senior official announced they would strip the pair of their immunity.

“Several of the declarations indicated Julio Borges. The investigations point to him,” Maduro said during a two hour long speech from Miraflores Presidential Palace to discuss the attack. accompanied by a detailed presentation showing suspects and moving images. However, he provided no hard evidence of Borges’ involvement.

Both Requesens and Borges are members of the Justice First Party within opposition-controlled National Assembly, although Borges is currently living in exile in Colombia.

According to CCTV footage tweeted out by the party, Requesens and his sister Rafaela were taken from their apartment in Caracas by the SEBIN secret police, with video footage showing them being tackled by police as they walked out a lift in their apartment building.

Meanwhile, former Venezuelan municipal police chief and prominent government critic Salvatore Lucchese claimed his own involvement in the attack, he helped organized it alongside other anti-Maduro militants.

“We had an objective and in the moment we were not able to materialize it 100 percent,” Lucchese said in an interview from Bogota. “The armed struggle will continue.”

Maduro has now displayed names and posters of other individuals he believes to be involved in the attack, whether through financial aid or involvement in its planning, with some of these suspects are from Colombia and the United States.

“I want to explain to the government of the United States and the government of Colombia in detail all the evidence that leads us to accomplices and direct responsible living in the state of Florida,” Maduro said. “I trust in the good faith of Donald Trump.”

Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.

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