Venezuelan Minister Details Planned Coup Attempt Involving Jailed Retired General

Venezuelan Minister Details Planned Coup Attempt Involving Jailed Retired General

Venezuelan Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said the opposition allegedly planned to free retired Gen. Raul Baduel, an opposition figure serving his jail term, and bring him to power in order to overthrow the incumbent authorities

MEXICO CITY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th June, 2019) Venezuelan Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said the opposition allegedly planned to free retired Gen. Raul Baduel, an opposition figure serving his jail term, and bring him to power in order to overthrow the incumbent authorities.

"They planned to capture La Carlota military base and free Raul Baduel; then take him to La Carlota in order to bring him to TV channels and proclaim him the president," Rodriguez said live on Venezuelan television on Wednesday, adding that the opposition allegedly planned to carry out the operation last Sunday and Monday.

The minister continued by saying that for their coup attempt, the opposition forces planned to capture a helicopter and the Central Bank reserve to get hold of armored vehicles used for transporting money.

"They wanted to take all this and go to Miraflores [presidential palace] and La Carlota in order to conduct destabilization," Rodriguez claimed.

The minister suggested the putschists sought to cause casualties among civilians.

To support his statement, Rodriguez showed a video clip showing a confession by Lt. Carlos Lozada Saavedra whom the opposition tried to involve in the operation.

Moreover, the putschists planned to kill Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, as well as Diosdado Cabello, the head of the government-led National Constituent Assembly of Venezuela, Rodriguez pointed out.

The Union radio broadcaster reported, citing the information minister, that retired Gen. Cliver Alcala Cordones allegedly planned to involve Baduel's children and 100 Israeli agents in the operation against Maduro and his wife.

Baduel had been the defense minister under late Venezuelan Hugo Chavez and played a significant role in restoring him in office as a result of the 2002 failed coup. However, he was removed from his position and subsequently emerged as an opposition leader campaigning against the 2007 constitutional reform allowing Chavez to be re-elected indefinitely.

The former defense minister was arrested in 2009 and convicted in a corruption case a year later. He has denied the charges against him.

The situation in Venezuela has been tense since January, when anti-government protests, fueled by opposition leader Juan Guaido's move to proclaim himself the country's interim president, erupted. Maduro has slammed Guaido, saying he acted at the orders of the United States, which sought to install him as the country's president and get hold of Venezuela's oil assets. In May, the Venezuelan authorities thwarted a coup attempt involving the military.