{"id":175027,"date":"2018-08-05T02:35:10","date_gmt":"2018-08-05T06:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=175027"},"modified":"2018-08-05T02:35:10","modified_gmt":"2018-08-05T06:35:10","slug":"venezuelas-maduro-drone-attack-attempt-kill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2018\/08\/05\/venezuelas-maduro-drone-attack-attempt-kill\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuela’s Maduro: Drone attack was attempt to kill him"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Within seconds, Maduro said he heard a second explosion and pandemonium ensued. (File photo<\/a>: Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\/Facebook<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CARACAS, Venezuela \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was an attempt to kill me,\u201d he said later in an impassioned retelling of the events. \u201cToday they attempted to assassinate me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u201cflying device\u201d that exploded before his eyes. He thought it might be a pyrotechnics display in honour of the event.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

He said the \u201cfar right\u201d working in co-ordination with detractors in Bogota and Miami, including Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, were responsible. Some of the \u201cmaterial authors\u201d of the apparent attack have been detained.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe investigation will get to the bottom of this,\u201d he said. \u201cNo matter who falls.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are in the midst of a wave of civil war in Venezuela,\u201d Saab said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A Colombian official with the president’s office described Maduro’s claims that Santos was involved in the attack as baseless.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe showed that they are vulnerable,\u201d the group said in a tweet. \u201cIt was not successful today, but it is just a matter of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The organization did not respond to a message from The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The \u201camateurish\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe will use it to concentrate power,\u201d Smilde said. \u201cWhoever did this, he’ll use it to further restrict liberty and purge the government and armed forces.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to bet for the good of our country,\u201d Maduro declared triumphantly moments before the explosion. \u201cThe hour of the economy recovery has come.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat drone came after me,\u201d he said. \u201cBut there was a shield of love that always protects us. I’m sure I’ll live for many more years.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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