Six People Detained Following Maduro Drone Assassination Attempt - Minister

CARACAS (Sputnik) - On Saturday, a blast occurred during Maduro’s address at a military parade in Caracas. Venezuela’s Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said after the incident that Maduro had survived an assassination attempt with the use of explosive drones.

Six people have been detained in connection with Saturday's drone explosion, Venezuela's Interior Minister Nestor Reverol reported.

According to the minister, one of the arrested suspects is accused of involvement in a 2017 attack on a military base, whereas another suspect was already detained in 2014 over involvement in anti-government protests.

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Earlier in the day, Venezuela’s Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez told Sputnik that the attackers behind the assassination attempt against President Nicolas Maduro had been preparing the operation for at least six months.

"Quick reaction of President Maduro's security services not only allowed him to evacuate but also to quickly apprehend several perpetrators at the crime scene… Now they are providing us with all the details of the operation, which they had been preparing for at least six months," Rodriguez said

Maduro said that he was attacked by several drones loaded with explosives during his address at a public event in Caracas. The president and the officials, who were present at the demonstration, were unhurt in the incident. However, a total of seven servicemen were injured in the attack, according to Venezuelan Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez.

Argentine icon Diego Maradona accused the Venezuelan right-wing opposition and some foreign powers of what he called an "assassination attempt against the nation."