Over the weekend, Venezuelan President Nicolas was the target of the first-ever assassination attempt by drone. As Maduro spoke at the 81st anniversary of Venezuela’s National Guard, two drones loaded with explosives descended from the sky, one exploding mid air; a second struck the wall of a nearby apartment building. Footage from the event showed soldiers running away in terror as Maduro’s bodyguards quickly surrounded him with bullet-proof shields and ushered him off stage.
Addressing the nation later that day, Maduro blamed right-wing elements in Venezuela, Colombia and the United States and said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was also responsible for the attack. As Chris Sabatini writes for Axios, the scenario is reminiscent of the failed coup attempt in Turkey in 2016. After his government uncovered plans for a military coup, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan quickly removed hundreds of judges he saw as disloyal, jailed journalists and later consolidated power. As of April, 2017, more than 110,000 people have been detained in the post-coup crackdown.
Venezuela might be heading in the same direction. Whether the attacks against Maduro were staged or not, what’s truly terrifying is what might come next for Venezuela. The day after the attack, six people had already been arrested in connection to the failed assassination attempt. Late Tuesday night the Venezuelan government arrested National Assembly deputy Juan Requesens, and now, the government has ordered the arrest of former National Assembly leader Julio Borges who currently resides in Colombia. Looks like this failed assassination attempt is already working in Maduro’s favor.
