Venezuelan authorities have suppressed a military rebellion near the central city of Valencia, a ruling official said on Sunday, less than two days after President Nicolas Maduro formed a legislative superbody internationally condemned as a power grab.
Socialist Party deputy Diosdado Cabello made the announcement shortly after the release of a video showing a group of men in military uniform announcing a rebellion and calling for a broad uprising. But the rest of the country appeared to be calm, with the capital Caracas waking to a quiet Sunday morning.
Situation under control
One witness in the area of a military base in the town of Naguanagua reported hearing gunshots before dawn, but Mr. Cabello said the situation had been brought under control. Officials said the rebels, whom they described as “terrorists”, were trying to steal weapons and that seven people were detained after the attack on the base.
The Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But government allies were quick to denounce the attack as a right-wing plot aimed at bringing down the “Bolivarian revolution” started nearly 20 years ago by the late Hugo Chavez and carried on by his protégé Maduro. “These attacks, planned by delirious minds in Miami, only strengthen the morale of our armed forces and the Bolivarian people,” tweeted Socialist Party official Elias Jaua.
In Sunday's video, a man who identified himself as Juan Carlos Caguaripano, a former National Guard captain, said: “We demand the immediate formation of a transition government.” He was flanked by about a dozen men in military uniforms. “This is not a coup d’etat,” he said. “This is a civic and military action to re-establish constitutional order. But more than that, it is to save the country from total destruction.”
