A group of 27 troops on Monday rose up against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at a command post in Caracas, but they were quickly arrested after posting an appeal for public support in a video.
“We are the professional troop of the National Guard against the regime, which we completely repudiate. I need your help, take to the streets,” a man who identified himself as the group’s leader said in a video circulated on social media.
Venezuelan Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino issued a statement saying the troops had been arrested.
Photo: Reuters
Before the attack on a National Guard command center in northern Caracas where they were captured, the men had assaulted another security post, taking four prisoners and making off with “weapons of war,” the statement said.
“During the arrest, stolen weapons were recovered and [the mutineers] are providing useful information to intelligence services and the military justice system,” said Padrino, who added that the rebels would “face the full force of the law.”
The small, short-lived rebellion triggered outbreaks of protest.
In the districts of Cotiza, Los Mecedores and elsewhere in northern Caracas, people threw rocks and bottles at riot police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Several demonstrators were reported injured.
As night fell, in several areas of Caracas people banged pots and pans — a traditional method of grassroots protest in Latin America. A major avenue in downtown Caracas was blocked and protesters shouted “this government is going to fall.”
Riot police dispersed the crowds with tear gas.
Maduro’s right-hand man, Venezuelan Constituent Assembly President Diosdado Cabello, said 25 troops were arrested at the site and two more were detained elsewhere.
Cabello identified the rebel leader as Sergeant Major Luis Bandres Figueroa.
The Venezuelan Supreme Court, which is dominated by regime loyalists, later took aim at the opposition-controlled National Assembly, declaring its leadership illegitimate and its decisions invalid.
Last week, the assembly had declared Maduro an “usurper,” and offered members of the military and the government amnesty if they broke with Maduro.
It also called for a day of protests against the president today.
The mutiny unfolded in the early hours of the day and culminated at the National Guard’s Cotiza command, which was later surrounded by police and troops.
“They were neutralized, surrendered and captured in record time,” Cabello tweeted.
“They are already confessing details, and the first thing they said is that they were offered villas and castles, but were left alone, they were tricked. We will win,” he added, without specifying who allegedly made the offer.
The armed forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters who gathered outside the command post, banging pots and blocking roads with burning garbage in support of the uprising.
“If they unite with our country, we’re with them, we’re going to stay in the streets. Freedom,” shouted one woman, who declined to be identified.
“We want Maduro to go, we’re fed up,” a man added.
Venezuelan National Assembly President Juan Guaido, who has engaged Maduro in a power struggle since being elected to lead the legislature earlier this month, spoke out in support of the mutinous troops.
“What is happening in the National Guard in Cotiza is a demonstration of the general feeling that reigns within” the armed forces, Guaido said on Twitter. “Our military knows that the chain of command has been broken by the usurpation of the presidential office. The National Assembly is committed to offering all the necessary guarantees to members of the armed forces that actively contribute to the restoration of the constitution.”
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