Venezuela claims it has foiled attempted military uprising

Venezuela’s government has claimed to have foiled what appeared to be an attempted military insurrection, blaming the mutiny on “shadowy interests of the extreme right”.

In a statement, Venezuela accused a small group of “assailants” from the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) of “betraying their oath of loyalty to the homeland” by kidnapping four officials in an attempt to steal weapons that began at about 2.50am local time (0650 GMT) on Monday.

The apparent uprising appeared to have been small-scale, but it is the latest sign of resistance to Venezuela’s embattled president, Nicolás Maduro, who took power after Hugo Chávez’s death in 2013 and has led his country into an economic slump and a humanitarian crisis.

Diosdado Cabello, a leading chavista (supporter of Chávez) who is widely seen as a possible successor to Maduro, said: “Our Bolivarian armed forces will respond to attacks against the homeland … wherever they come from.

“The group of robbers have been neutralised, subdued and captured, in record time, and are already confessing the details.”

He added that 27 guardsmen were arrested and more could be detained as the investigation unfolded.

Earlier, videos circulating on social media showed a group of armed, uniformed men promising to “re-establish the constitutional order”.

A man who identifies himself as 3Sgt Alexander Bandres Figueroa tells viewers: “Get out on to the streets … It is today. It’s today … People, get out, support us.

“This fight is for you, for Venezuela,” he adds in a second video entitled “Message to the glorious people of Venezuela from part of its patriotic armed forces”.

Exactly what unfolded overnight remained unclear on Monday. But the newspaper El Nacional said residents of San José de Cotiza, in northern Caracas, reported hearing explosions and a confrontation, apparently between members of the group and police special forces, at about 4am.

Local television stations also reported clashes between protesters and security forces on Monday morning. “We want a better Venezuela … we want freedom,” one woman is filmed telling a reporter as fellow dissenters gather around her chanting “Freedom, freedom”.

Luisa Ortega Díaz, Venezuela’s exiled former chief prosecutor, tweeted her support for the “young patriots” she said were behind the revolt: “The bravery of these national guard boys shows us that yes there is dignity and willpower in the barracks to get us out of tyranny … We must support military rebellion.”

Maduro began his second term as president on 10 January, despite a chorus of international condemnation. But he will face renewed pressure this week, with opposition leaders calling for nationwide protests on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of a 1958 uprising that brought down the rightwing dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez.

Juan Guaidó, an opposition leader who recently declared himself ready to assume Venezuela’s presidency, described the mutiny as an indication of widespread hostility to Maduro within Venezuela’s armed forces. He called on the military to put itself “on the side of the people, the constitution and against [Maduro’s] usurpation” of power.

In recent weeks, Guaidó, the president of Venezuela’s national assembly, has emerged as a key figure in attempts to unseat Maduro, with the Brazilian, Colombian and US governments offering him their support.

Writing in the Washington Post last week, Guaidó denounced Maduro as a “usurper” and called on the military – whose members are being offered amnesty by Venezuela’s opposition – to turn on him. “The chain of command has been broken and there’s no commander in chief – it’s time to get on the right side of history,” he wrote.