Five people died and 233 were arrested in protests sparked by a failed military uprising against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last week, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said on Monday.
“All those cases are being investigated,” Saab said in a television interview.
A small number of military personnel on Tuesday last week joined Venezuelan National Assembly President Juan Guaido outside an air base in Caracas, calling on those inside to join the rebellion.
The insurrection quickly petered out, though, and 25 rebel soldiers sought refuge in the Brazilian embassy.
Saab confirmed that 18 arrest warrants were issued against “civilians and military plotters,” although he gave no names.
In an interview on Monday, Guaido blamed the failure on unkept promises by other members of the armed forces.
Maduro has threatened to go after “traitors” after crisis-wracked Venezuela’s military leadership reaffirmed its loyalty to the president.
The Venezuelan Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the re-arrest of key opposition figure, Leopoldo Lopez, who made a sensational appearance alongside Guaido outside the air base claiming to have been released from house arrest by soldiers.
The 48-year-old has sought refuge in the Spanish ambassador’s residence.
Lopez was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2014 after he was accused of inciting violent protests against Maduro, which left 43 people dead.
He was then transferred to house arrest in 2017.
On Wednesday, Lopez’s wife, Lilian Tintori, claimed that their Caracas home had been broken into and ransacked while she was out.
Venezuela lurched into a political crisis in January, when Guaido challenged Maduro’s authority by declaring himself acting president.
Guaido said that Venezuela’s constitution allowed him to do so after the opposition-controlled but sidelined legislature declared Maduro a usurper over his controversial re-election last year.
Venezuela has suffered five years of recession that has seen more than 2.7 million people flee poverty and insecurity since 2015, UN figures show.
As major world powers have been drawn in, the US has thrown its support behind Guaido, while China and Russia have backed Maduro.
Washington has repeatedly stated that “all options are on the table,” including military intervention in Venezuela to help Guaido oust Maduro.
Without using such antagonistic language, Guaido said there could be a case to seek “foreign co-operation to overcome the unprecedented crisis Venezuela is going through.”
Asked about military intervention, he said only that it was a “controversial option.”
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