Ex-city police chief plans Venezuela drone attack

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A former Venezuelan municipal police chief and anti-government activist says he helped organize an operation to launch armed drones over a military rally on Saturday that President Nicolas Maduro has called an assassination attempt.

Salvatore Lucchese, a Venezuelan activist who was previously imprisoned for his role in past protests, said he orchestrated the attack with a loose association of anti-Maduro militants known in Venezuela as the "resistance" in an interview with Reuters.

The "resistance" referred to by Lucchese is a diffuse collection of street activists, student organizers and former military officers. It has little formal structure, but is known in the country mostly for organizing protests in recent years in which demonstrators have clashed with police and soldiers.

Reuters could not independently verify Lucchese's claims about the attack, in which drones flew over the rally in central Caracas. Explosives aboard the drones detonated, injuring seven military officers and sending attendees scurrying for cover.

Soldiers stand guard in the surroundings of the presidential palace in Caracas, August 4, 2018, after drones carrying explosives detonated near President Nicolas Maduro as he gave a speech at a military ceremony. /VCG Photo

Lucchese described the incident as part of a sustained, armed effort against Maduro. He declined to describe his precise role in the operation, in the broader resistance or identify others involved, citing the need to protect their identity.

"We had an objective and in the moment we were not able to materialize it 100 percent," said Lucchese in an interview in Bogota, where he is traveling because of activities with other opposition figures. "The armed struggle will continue."

Venezuela's Information Ministry did not reply to a request for comment.

Now, it remains unclear exactly how organized or equipped armed opponents may be.

A little-known group called the National Movement of Soldiers in T-Shirts over the weekend also claimed responsibility for the drone attack. It, too, describes itself as part of the "resistance."

Lucchese declined to say whether he is associated with Soldiers in T-Shirts.

Source(s): Reuters