Venezuelan Prosecutor General Tarek Saab said on his X page that some detainees "committed acts of vandalism and set fire to the headquarters of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela while people were inside." Law enforcement officials confiscated bottles of explosives and weapons from other detainees.
"The extreme right justifies these hired thugs and puts the criminals on so-called 'politically persecuted' lists," the chief prosecutor added.
Protests and riots broke out in central Caracas on Monday. Demonstrators accused authorities of rigging the results of the presidential election, which was won by incumbent President Nicolas Maduro. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said more than 20 servicemen were injured in the violence.
Venezuela held its presidential election on July 28. According to the National Electoral Council, with 80% of ballots counted, incumbent head of state Maduro received 51.2% of the vote. His main opponent Edmundo Gonzalez, who represented far-right parties, garnered 44.2%. Corina Machado, one of the opposition’s leaders, refused to recognize the election’s outcome, declaring Gonzalez the winner.
MNA/PR
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