Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday blamed Colombia for helping stage several more murder attempts on him since a failed drone attack last year.
"After that, we foiled several other attempts on my life. All of them were masterminded in Colombia with Washington’s approval," Maduro told Russia’s Rossiya-1 television channel.
He said the United States had long been using Venezuela’s neighbour as a platform for military aggression against his country and criticised Bogota for resorting to criminal actions in an effort to depose him.
Two drones were detonated as President Maduro delivered a speech at the parade in 2018. A little-known group called the Flannel Soldiers claimed responsibility for the attack the following day.
President Maduro blamed the attack on Colombia and the United States. Both Washington and Bogota have dismissed the accusations.
Massive protests against Maduro began in Venezuela on 21 January after he was sworn in for a new term. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido proclaimed himself an interim leader of the country. The United States was quick to back his claim, supported by a number of Western countries, while Russia, China, and a host of other countries have voiced their support for Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.
