The Venezuelan authorities have officially asked Colombia to extradite the suspects in a drone assassination attempt on President Nicolas Maduro, the website of Venezolana de Television quoted Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza as saying on Thursday.
Among the five suspects are Venezuelan opposition lawmaker Julio Borges as well as retired Colonel Oswaldo Palomo. According to Arreaza, this ‘group of terrorists’ had been trained in Colombia for the assassination attempt.
On Wednesday, Venezuelan Prosecutor General William Saab said the authorities had established the direct participation of 19 people in the assassination try and intended to seek assistance in the investigation from the US and Colombia. On Thursday, the round of suspects grew to 25 people.
On August 8, the Supreme Court of Venezuela announced it had ordered the arrest of Borges and extended custody for lawmaker Juan Requesens detained a day earlier. Later on the same day, the Constituent Assembly, which has no representatives from the opposition, scrapped immunity for these lawmakers.
An attempt to kill the Venezuelan president with the use of drones took place as he was delivering a speech in Caracas on August 4. The drones were shot down, but seven law enforcement officers were wounded. Maduro and senior officials of the country were not injured.
Maduro accused Venezuelan ultra-right in alliance with Colombian ultra-right, and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. He also assumed that some of those plotting to kill him lived in the US. On Sunday, Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said the authorities had detained six suspects.
The Colombian Foreign Ministry dismissed Maduro’s accusations as absurd. The Venezuelan opposition dubbed attempts to accuse it as irresponsible.