Venezuela’s Maduro: Helicopter attacked Supreme Court

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Venezuela’s Maduro: Helicopter attacked Supreme Court

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has condemned what he called an “armed terrorist attack,” which saw gunfire and grenades launched from a helicopter over the capital’s Supreme Court building.In a televised address on state TV Tuesday, Maduro said one of the grenades failed to explode, and no one had been injured, but armed forces had been deployed to hunt down the suspects. Minister for Communications and Information Ernesto Villegas called the attack an attempted coup.Ahead of the attack, a man who identified himself as Oscar Perez posted a video online declaring his opposition to the country’s “criminal government.”Perez was identified as the pilot of the helicopter in a televised statement by Villegas, who added that four grenades were launched, two against a group of National Guards who were protecting the building.He said that around 15 shots were fired around the Ministry of the Interior, a few blocks away from the presidential palace, while a social event was ongoing inside the building, celebrating the National Day of Journalists. Around 80 people were in the building, he said.“This will not impede the right to vote by the Venezuelan people on July 30th to elect the members of the National Assembly constituency,” he said, referring to a proposed body that if implemented would be able to make changes to the constitution.Critics have said it would also allow for the reshaping of the current legislative body, as well as redefine the President’s executive powers.Fiery rhetoricIn his online video message, Perez said he was a pilot in the special response unit of Venezuela’s Criminal Investigative Police (CICPC) and demanded that Maduro step down.Addressing the camera while wearing a pilot’s flight suit, Perez said he was speaking on behalf of what he termed a coalition of military, police officers and civil officials, and urged the Venezuelan people to continue to fight to protect their constitution.“It is not vengeance, it is the justice and conscience that drives us to make change,” he said, reading from a prepared statement.“On this day, we are carrying out a deployment by air and land with the sole purpose to return the democratic power to the people and to ensure the laws to establish constitutional order.“It is our duty as state officers of security that we dismantle these paramilitary bands … We demand President Nicolas Maduro Moros to resign immediately together with his ministerial train and general elections are immediately called.”ChaosVenezuela is in the throes of a political and humanitarian crisis which has brought thousands of people onto the streets in mass protests demanding a change of government.Soaring inflation and widespread shortages of medicines, food and other essentials have infuriated the local people, who are struggling to afford even basic necessities.Under former president and Maduro’s mentor, Hugo Chavez, oil revenue fueled Venezuela’s economy. However, falling oil prices have made state subsidies unsustainable.Anti-government protesters want Maduro to step down, accusing him of eroding democracy. Maduro, meanwhile, has sent the Venezuelan military onto the streets to maintain order, leading to deadly clashes. At least 75 civilians have died in the unrest, including the point-blank shooting of a 22-year-old protester by a soldier last week.Vivid social media imagesPhotographs posted online showed a helicopter with the initials of the investigative police unit on its side, flying above the capital, Caracas.Through an open door an occupant is seen holding a banner saying “Article 350 libertad” — referring to an article in the Venezuelan constitution that allows citizens to oppose the government should it subvert democratic principles, and the Spanish word for “freedom.”Another video which was shared online shows the helicopter landing on top of a building as a few people below cheered. The helicopter then took off again, although it’s not clear where it went.Online manifestoIn the video, Perez said members of his group were nationalists unaffiliated with any political party, and that their fight was not with the country’s security forces but rather against the “disastrous government, tyranny and the death of innocents.”Earlier Tuesday, Maduro spoke at a rally and said, “I aspire that the world listens. After 90 days of violence, destruction and death. If Venezuela was launched into chaos and violence and the Bolivarian Revolution was destroyed, we would go to combat.“We would never give up. And what couldn’t be done with votes, we would do it with weapons. We would liberate our fatherland with arms.”Maduro said he had activated government security forces to investigate the attack. Source: CNN

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