Venezuela's Maduro Accuses Guaido Of Assassination Plot

Umer Jamshaid Published March 24, 2019 | 07:55 AM

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th March, 2019) Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on Saturday accused US-backed self-declared president Juan Guaido, whom he called a "diabolic puppet," of orchestrating a plot to kill him.

"The American imperialism wants to assassinate me. We have just foiled a plot that the diabolic puppet personally directed to kill me. We have proof, but they could not prevail," Maduro told his supporters.

Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said in a televised address that the plot involved smuggling Central American hitmen into Venezuela.

Maduro said that a Colombian paramilitary boss had been captured in Carabobo state after Guaido's detained associate Roberto Marrero provided the leads that helped locate him.

The Venezuelan president has repeatedly accused Guaido of being a puppet in a US plot to depose him. Guaido, the head of the opposition-controlled parliament, declared himself interim president in January and promised a new election. Russia, China and several others do not recognize his authority.