Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Thursday intelligence agents had detained his chief of staff following a pre-dawn raid, signaling that President Nicolas Maduro may be cracking down on the opposition’s challenge to his rule.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a post on Twitter on Thursday, called for Roberto Marrero’s immediate release and said “we will hold accountable those involved.” The United States has repeatedly warned Maduro not to move against Guaido.
Guaido invoked the constitution in January to assume the interim presidency after declaring Maduro’s 2018 re-election a fraud, and has been recognized by dozens of Western nations as the country’s legitimate leader.
Maduro, who has overseen a dramatic collapse of the OPEC nation’s economy, has called Guaido a puppet of the United States and said he should “face justice,” but has not explicitly ordered his arrest.
Juan Guaido, the opposition leader recognized by the US and other countries as interim leader of Venezuela, announces on Twitter that Venezuelan intelligence officers arrested his chief of staff Roberto Marrero.
“Look after the president,” Marrero said in a voice message sent to reporters by Guaido’s press team, as he reported that agents were trying to enter his house. The press team also sent a video of another opposition lawmaker showing damage to the door of Marrero’s home and a broken lock.
Dozens of countries including the United States, major European powers and most South American nations have backed Guaido and say Maduro’s rule is illegitimate.
Maduro says his government is the victim of an “economic war” led by his political adversaries and blames U.S. financial and oil sector sanctions for the country’s situation.
Guaido traveled around South America in February to drum up diplomatic support for his government, defying a travel ban imposed by the pro-government Supreme Court. He later entered the country via Venezuela’s principal airport without being detained by immigration officials.
Since January, Venezuelan authorities have arrested over 1,000 people in connection with anti-government demonstrations, rights groups say.
