In a nationally televised news conference on Wednesday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said that a large oil refinery suffered a “terrorist attack” on Tuesday, but gave few details.
Maduro touched on a wide range of topics that included his country’s deep ties with Iran and opening a probe into the secret departure of a leading political adversary, Leopoldo Lopez, who recently fled after being holed up for months in the Spanish ambassador’s residence in Caracas.
Maduro said the attack toppled a large tower at the Amuay Refinery on the northern Caribbean coast.
Photo: AFP / Venezuelan Presidency / Jhonn Zerpa
He said it was carried out with a “large and powerful” weapon, which was still under investigation.
The president also said two foreigners tied to extremist groups were detained a day prior to the incident with plans to kill Venezuelan leaders.
Maduro did not identify them, give their nationality or explain whether they had ties to the refinery attack.
“Venezuela is confronting a permanent conspiracy against our life, against our strategic industry, against the electricity service, the refinery, the oil industry, public services,” Maduro said.
Maduro, who spoke for nearly two hours, said Venezuela and Iran share “deep, spiritual, political” ties, but he denied that he is buying weapons from Tehran, despite recent reports.
He did not dismiss the possibility of doing so in the future.
“It seems like a very good idea to buy missiles from Iran,” Maduro said. “When the time is right, we’ll consider it.”
Maduro also said authorities in his government are launching a legal probe into who is responsible for helping Lopez, among Venezuela’s most popular opposition figures, sneak from the Spanish ambassador’s residence in Caracas over the weekend and flee to Madrid, where he rejoined his wife and children.
Lopez was sentenced in 2015 to nearly 14 years in prison after being convicted of inciting violence during anti-government protests. He was released from a military prison in 2018, but last year he broke his house arrest and then spent the past 18 months in the Spanish ambassador’s residence.
Maduro said that there was a “negotiation” between Lopez and the Spanish government to realize his surprise departure
Lopez on Tuesday spoke publicly in Madrid for the first time since leaving Venezuela. He denied there were any negotiations for his clandestine departure.
“Only five people knew about it, nobody else, not even my wife,” he said. “I organized it with the people who helped me and whom I’m going to protect.”
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