Venezuela: President Maduro puts Venezuelan army on high alert following opposition plot to assassinate him
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has put the Venezuelan army on high alert after reports of a plot by the opposition leaders to assassinate him that was exposed where he also called on the militia group known as colectivos to join the pro government forces and stand by his side.
During a phone interview with a local Venezuelan TV channel, Maduro said, “I know about their criminal plans – those who lead the opposition – their plans to kill me, the country’s military units have been put on alert” and a decision was made to beef up “intelligence and counterintelligence activities.”
Maduro said that the militia joining the colectivos was necessary to “ensure peace” in Venezuelan cities and towns. President Maduro said that this measure “is constitutional, legitimate and necessary.” The criminals “paid off” by the forces opposing the current authorities shouldn’t be allowed to incite violence.
The Venezuelan leader also believes that the nation’s current opposition headed by Juan Guaido is “the most criminal” over the last 20 years. Maduro once again accused his political opponents inside the country and the US administration of sabotaging the country’s power plants and stations that had led to serious problems with power supplies
On January 23, Juan Guaido, Venezuelan opposition leader and parliament speaker, whose appointment to that position had been cancelled by the country’s Supreme Court, declared himself interim president at a rally in the country’s capital of Caracas.
Several countries, including the United States, most of the EU states, Lima Group members (excluding Mexico), Australia, Albania, Georgia and Israel, as well as the Organization of American States, recognized him. Maduro, in turn, blasted the move as a coup staged by Washington and said he was severing diplomatic ties with the US. In contrast, Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Syria and Turkey voiced support for Maduro.
Source: TASS