Vice president of Venezuelan congress detained

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Venezuelan intelligence agents on Wednesday detained Edgar Zambrano, the deputy leader of the opposition-dominated National Assembly, for backing the failed April 30 military coup against President Nicolas Maduro, which was orchestrated by Juan Guaido.

Zambrano was leaving his Democratic Action party's headquarters when he was surprised by a commando unit from the intelligence agency who surrounded his car. He live-tweeted the incident at 6:35 p.m. local time, saying he refused to leave the vehicle, but the officers subsequently towed the vehicle away with him inside to the Helicoide, a government building in Caracas used for holding prisoners.

"We democrats we will keep fighting!" Zambrano tweeted as he was hauled off.

Venezuela's Supreme Court will prosecute seven lawmakers who backed last week's failed coup, Caracas, Venezuela, May 8, 2019. /VCG Photo

Opposition lawmakers under investigation

The arrest came after Venezuela's Supreme Court launched a preliminary investigation into seven top opposition politicians on Tuesday. The people were accused of treason, rebellion and conspiracy in connection with the failed coup.

Zambrano, 63, was one of the first opposition leaders to answer Guaido's call for an insurrection. He is seen as a conciliatory figure within the opposition who is close to Henry Ramos, the former head of congress who has been accused of taking part in an earlier alleged conspiracy to oust Maduro. He took up his role as Guaido's deputy then.

Government officials had announced that Zambrano and eight other opposition lawmakers faced investigation on charges of "betraying the homeland" and "instigating an insurrection," for their roles in last week's unrest.

Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered the arrest of opposition figure Leopoldo Lopez last week after the failed coup, May 2, 2019. /VCG Photo

Two hours before his arrest, Zambrano had told The Associated Press in a phone interview that he was not going to hide because "I have not committed any crime."

Government supporters have been pushing Maduro to order arrests in the aftermath of the failed coup. But analysts say there are limits to how far Maduro can crack down, and that any attempt to arrest Guaido risks inviting a strong response from the U.S., which has warned of "grave consequences" should the opposition leader be harmed.

Guaido told CNN just hours before the arrest of Zambrano that he remains a free man and Maduro is afraid of the consequences of arresting him.

"Because they're scared. Those that try to spread or generate a perception of control are the ones that don't have it," Guaido told CNN.

Trump's Venezuela policy failed

Forces supporting Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido take position in front of La Carlota base in Caracas, Venezuela, April 30, 2019. /VCG Photo

The Trump administration has been trying for months to remove Maduro from power. However, they've failed miserably so far.

In January, Venezuelan opposition leader Guaido declared himself the country's rightful president and the U.S. government immediately backed his claim through sanctioning politicians and businesses, sending food and medical aid and so on.

When Guaido called for a nationwide uprising on April 30, in which he obviously overestimated his ability to mobilize people to support him, the Trump administration again declared strong support for him, suggesting the U.S. may back whatever military measure the interim president deems fit. However, Guaido's efforts failed again, with few troops defecting to join his side to rebel against Maduro.

There is little sign that tension will break between Maduro and Guaido. And the Trump administration seems likely to continue its support for Guaido,and pursue ousting Maduro, even with military measures.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido arrives at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, April 8, 2019. /VCG Photo

Russia denounced the U.S. intervention, with its Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warning that Washington's "irresponsible" plan to overthrow the Caracas government by force would result in a catastrophe.

"Attempts to stage a violent upheaval in Caracas have nothing to do with democratic process, and only disrupt any prospects of political settlement," said Lavrov last Sunday.

The Russian minister also said what Venezuela needs right now is political dialogue, not power grab attempts.

More than 3 million Venezuelans have left their homeland in recent years amid the surging conflicts between the two sides, skyrocketing inflation and severe shortages of food and medicine.

(With input from AP)