The Minister for Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, released this Sunday afternoon a Communiqué where he expresses a strong rejection of the vile coup d’etat that a group of terrorist mercenaries who raided La Guaira tried to give on Sunday’s early morning hours, sent directly by the Colombian government to assassinate officials of the High Government and create chaos in the population.
Communiqué:
«Today, Sunday May 3 of the currents, in the early hours of the morning, a group of terrorist mercenaries, organized and trained in Colombia, carried out a raid against national sovereignty, by pretending to land with war material on the coasts of Macuto, La Guaira state.
This attack could be detected in a timely manner, thanks to the professional and scientific work of the intelligence and counterintelligence organizations, as well as the permanent execution of the military and police operation «Bolivarian Shield», which guarantees the continuous surveillance of our entire geographical space. In this way, a new attempt at destabilization has been neutralized, which sought to wreak havoc and generate a spiral of violence in the Venezuelan community.
As a result of the immediate reaction, several of the aforementioned mercenaries were killed in a confrontation, and others were captured, some linked to drug trafficking, who participated in the organization of the terrorist operation. A significant amount of weapons and equipment was also retained, highlighting part of the weapons that had been stolen and were used in the subversive action of April 30, 2019.
Divers from the Bolivarian Navy carry out in-depth search efforts to locate and recover equipment and weapons intended to be used by terrorists, who could be underwater, due to the capsizing of a boat. Likewise, the entire Territorial Defensive System, with the support of the security agencies, carry out patrolling and search operations, especially in the coastal region, in order to locate other possible parties involved and determine their connections, and thus additional arrests are not being ruled out.
This last action adds to a long list of attacks by the North American empire and its allies, which include criminal international sanctions against state officials and entities, economic – financial blockade, attempted assassination, assaults on military installations, sabotage of public services , and many others that only seek to affect the peace of the Venezuelan people, and overthrow the legitimately constituted government.
The Bolivarian National Armed Force categorically rejects these acts of irrational violence, before which we have always been victorious for the defense of the Homeland, unfailingly clinging to the Constitution, loyalty, our libertarian and democratic convictions, and the civic-military union that Supreme Commander Hugo Chávez bequeathed to us.
On this occasion, the Republic’s weapons have once again triumphed!
All military units throughout the national territory remain on alert, prepared to respond forcefully against any other threat. Likewise, we reiterate absolute loyalty to citizen Nicolás Maduro Moros, Constitutional President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, our Commander in Chief, and the irreducible commitment to guarantee the sovereignty and independence of the Nation.
«Chávez Lives … the Homeland Continues»
«Independence and Socialist Homeland … We shall live and overcome»
Always Loyal, Never Traitors!
Caracas, May 3, 2020