Venezuela attack: President Nicolas Maduro survives attack 'from drone dropping explosives onto crowd of troops'

Venezuela's President targeted in bomb plot while giving speech to soldiers ++++ “Flying device” goes off above crowd of troops followed by second blast ++++ Hundreds of soldiers scatter and Mr Maduro is escorted away by bodyguards ++++ A stampede follows, leaving soldiers bloodied ++++ Mr Maduro gives a speech later, saying: “This was an attempt to kill me” ++++ Several 'plotters' arrested
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The president of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro has survived an assassination attempt in which drones armed with explosives detonated while he was delivering a speech.

Mr Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were targeted in the attack while he delivered a speech to hundreds of soldiers in Caracas.

The pair looked up at the sky from the stage as a crowd of hundreds of massed troops ran for their lives after hearing the sound of an explosion pierce the air.

Pictures showed some members of the crowd bloodied after the blast and ensuing stampede.

Mr Maduro said "everything points" to a right-wing plot that early investigations suggest is linked to Colombia, he said later in a speech.

Survived attack: the president of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro
EPA

He said several plotters had been arrested. But Colombia has dismissed the suggestions any of its citizens are responsible as 'baseless,' saying the blast was from a gas explosion.

He was giving a speech to hundreds of soldiers in Caracas to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Bolivarian National Guard which was being broadcast live on television when the explosion occurred.

Security personnel surround Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro with bulletproof shields
AP

"This was an attempt to kill me," the 55-year-old said later in an impassioned retelling of the events. "Today they attempted to assassinate me."

Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said the incident took place shortly after 5.30pm as Mr Maduro was celebrating the National Guard's 81st anniversary.

Venezuelan troops during Mr Maduro's speech
EPA

The visibly shaken head of state said he saw a "flying device" that exploded before his eyes, and thought it might be a pyrotechnics display in honour of the event.

Within seconds, Mr Maduro said he heard a second explosion and pandemonium ensued.

Armed police stand guard after an explosion targeted President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas
EPA

Bodyguards escorted the Venezuelan leader out of the event behind bulletproof screens and television footage showed uniformed soldiers standing in formation quickly scattering from the scene.

He said the "far right" working in coordination with detractors in Bogota and Miami, including Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos, were responsible.

An injured soldier following the blast
AP

Some of the "material authors" of the apparent attack have been detained he said, adding: "The investigation will get to the bottom of this."

Venezuela's government routinely accuses opposition activists of plotting to attack and overthrow Mr Maduro, a deeply unpopular leader who was recently elected to a new term in office in a vote decried by dozens of nations.

Security forces check a building after an explosion was heard during a ceremony attended by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
AFP/Getty Images

He has steadily moved to concentrate power as the nation reels from a crippling economic crisis.

In the midst of near-daily protests last year, a rogue police officer flew a stolen helicopter over the capital and launched grenades at several government buildings. Oscar Perez was later killed in a deadly gun battle after over six months on the run.

Troops on parade before the explosion 
AFP/Getty Images

Attorney General Tarek William Saab said the attempted assassination targeted not only Mr Maduro, but rather the military's entire high command on stage with the president.

The Venezuela's military high command were being targeted along with the president
AFP/Getty Images

Prosecutors have already launched their investigation and obtained critical details from the suspects in custody, said Mr Saab, adding that he would give more details on Monday.

"We are in the midst of a wave of civil war in Venezuela," he said.

Firefighters at the scene of the blast disputed the government's version of events.

Three local authorities said there had been a gas tank explosion inside an apartment near Mr Maduro's speech where smoke could be seen streaming out of a window. They provided no further details on how they had reached that conclusion.

A Colombian official with the president's office described Mr Maduro's claims that Santos was involved in the attack as baseless.

Adding to the confusion, a little known group calling itself Soldiers in T-shirts claimed responsibility, saying it planned to fly two drones loaded with explosives at the president, but government soldiers shot them down before reaching its target.

"We showed that they are vulnerable," the group said in a tweet. "It was not successful today, but it is just a matter of time."

David Smilde, a senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America who has spent decades researching Venezuela, said the incident did not appear to be a staged attack by Mr Maduro's government for political gain.

The "amateurish" attack prompted embarrassing images of Maduro cut off mid-sentence with droves of soldiers running away in fear, making the president appear vulnerable, Mr Smilde said.

"He will use it to concentrate power," he said. "Whoever did this, he'll use it to further restrict liberty and purge the government and armed forces."

Additional reporting by agencies

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