More than 50 arrested in Venezuela 'anti-election plot'
More than 50 people have been arrested in Venezuela in recent days over an alleged violent plot against the country's regional and parliamentary elections.
"Today we have already captured more than 50 mercenaries who entered the country to plant bombs or carry out violent attacks," President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday during the closing of the electoral campaign of the Chavista alliance Gran Polo Patriotico Simon Bolivar in Caracas.
Maduro, who was sworn in last January for a third consecutive six-year term after his controversial re-election in 2024, said the alleged mercenaries were linked to an operation directed by the "death throes of fascism," although he did not provide further details.
The president thanked the members of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) and the various police agencies for "the perfect plan to guarantee peace".
According to authorities, as of Monday, 38 alleged mercenaries had been arrested, of whom 17 were foreigners and 21 were Venezuelans, including some who had left the Caribbean country and "were returning".
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello on Monday said the plot included "attacks" against embassies, police stations, hospitals, petrol stations and national electricity grid facilities, as well as against "personalities from both the revolution (Chavismo) and the opposition," especially opposition candidates in the elections.
Cabello also announced the suspension of all flights from Colombia, denouncing the arrival in Venezuela of alleged mercenaries from that neighbouring country, including Colombian, Mexican, and Ukrainian citizens. This measure is planned to last until Monday.
The Colombian government also announced on Thursday the temporary closure of its border with Venezuela between Friday and Monday.
This week, the FANB deployed more than 412,000 military personnel throughout the country to protect facilities and electoral materials.
On Sunday, 569 positions will be elected, including 285 members of parliament, 24 governors, and 260 regional legislators, in elections rejected by the largest opposition coalition, which denounced "fraud" in the 2024 presidential elections.
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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
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Trump readies National Guard to quell LA protests
President Donald Trump's administration says it will deploy 2000 National Guard troops as federal agents in Los Angeles face off against a few hundred demonstrators during a second day of protests following immigration raids. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Saturday the Pentagon was prepared to mobilise active-duty troops "if violence continues" in Los Angeles, saying the Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were "on high alert". Federal security agents on Saturday confronted protesters in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, where some demonstrators displayed Mexican flags. A second protest in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night attracted some 60 people, who chanted slogans including "ICE out of L.A.!" Trump signed a presidential memorandum to deploy the National Guard troops to "address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester"the White House said in a statement. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, told Fox News the National Guard would be deployed in Los Angeles on Saturday. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the decision "purposefully inflammatory". He posted on X that Trump was deploying the National Guard "not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle", adding: "Don't give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully." Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that if Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass can't do their jobs "then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!" The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. Senior White House aide Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner, described the protests as a "violent insurrection." The 1807 law empowers a president to deploy the US military to enforce the law and suppress events such as civil disorder. The last time it was invoked was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots at the request of the California governor. Video footage of the Paramount protest showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. Authorities began detaining some protesters, according to Reuters witnesses. There was no official information on any arrests. "Now they know that they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people - they cannot do that without an organised and fierce resistance," said protester Ron Gochez, 44. A first round of protests kicked off on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that there were about "1,000 rioters" at the protests on Friday. Reuters could not verify DHS's account. Angelica Salas, executive director of immigrants' rights organisation Chirla, said lawyers had not had access to those detained on Friday, which she called "very worrying". Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also caught up people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to requests for comment on the protests or whether there had been any immigration raids on Saturday. President Donald Trump's administration says it will deploy 2000 National Guard troops as federal agents in Los Angeles face off against a few hundred demonstrators during a second day of protests following immigration raids. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Saturday the Pentagon was prepared to mobilise active-duty troops "if violence continues" in Los Angeles, saying the Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were "on high alert". Federal security agents on Saturday confronted protesters in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, where some demonstrators displayed Mexican flags. A second protest in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night attracted some 60 people, who chanted slogans including "ICE out of L.A.!" Trump signed a presidential memorandum to deploy the National Guard troops to "address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester"the White House said in a statement. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, told Fox News the National Guard would be deployed in Los Angeles on Saturday. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the decision "purposefully inflammatory". He posted on X that Trump was deploying the National Guard "not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle", adding: "Don't give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully." Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that if Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass can't do their jobs "then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!" The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. Senior White House aide Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner, described the protests as a "violent insurrection." The 1807 law empowers a president to deploy the US military to enforce the law and suppress events such as civil disorder. The last time it was invoked was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots at the request of the California governor. Video footage of the Paramount protest showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. Authorities began detaining some protesters, according to Reuters witnesses. There was no official information on any arrests. "Now they know that they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people - they cannot do that without an organised and fierce resistance," said protester Ron Gochez, 44. A first round of protests kicked off on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that there were about "1,000 rioters" at the protests on Friday. Reuters could not verify DHS's account. Angelica Salas, executive director of immigrants' rights organisation Chirla, said lawyers had not had access to those detained on Friday, which she called "very worrying". Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also caught up people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to requests for comment on the protests or whether there had been any immigration raids on Saturday. President Donald Trump's administration says it will deploy 2000 National Guard troops as federal agents in Los Angeles face off against a few hundred demonstrators during a second day of protests following immigration raids. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Saturday the Pentagon was prepared to mobilise active-duty troops "if violence continues" in Los Angeles, saying the Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were "on high alert". Federal security agents on Saturday confronted protesters in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, where some demonstrators displayed Mexican flags. A second protest in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night attracted some 60 people, who chanted slogans including "ICE out of L.A.!" Trump signed a presidential memorandum to deploy the National Guard troops to "address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester"the White House said in a statement. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, told Fox News the National Guard would be deployed in Los Angeles on Saturday. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the decision "purposefully inflammatory". He posted on X that Trump was deploying the National Guard "not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle", adding: "Don't give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully." Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that if Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass can't do their jobs "then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!" The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. Senior White House aide Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner, described the protests as a "violent insurrection." The 1807 law empowers a president to deploy the US military to enforce the law and suppress events such as civil disorder. The last time it was invoked was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots at the request of the California governor. Video footage of the Paramount protest showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. Authorities began detaining some protesters, according to Reuters witnesses. There was no official information on any arrests. "Now they know that they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people - they cannot do that without an organised and fierce resistance," said protester Ron Gochez, 44. A first round of protests kicked off on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that there were about "1,000 rioters" at the protests on Friday. Reuters could not verify DHS's account. Angelica Salas, executive director of immigrants' rights organisation Chirla, said lawyers had not had access to those detained on Friday, which she called "very worrying". Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also caught up people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to requests for comment on the protests or whether there had been any immigration raids on Saturday. President Donald Trump's administration says it will deploy 2000 National Guard troops as federal agents in Los Angeles face off against a few hundred demonstrators during a second day of protests following immigration raids. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Saturday the Pentagon was prepared to mobilise active-duty troops "if violence continues" in Los Angeles, saying the Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were "on high alert". Federal security agents on Saturday confronted protesters in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, where some demonstrators displayed Mexican flags. A second protest in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night attracted some 60 people, who chanted slogans including "ICE out of L.A.!" Trump signed a presidential memorandum to deploy the National Guard troops to "address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester"the White House said in a statement. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, told Fox News the National Guard would be deployed in Los Angeles on Saturday. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the decision "purposefully inflammatory". He posted on X that Trump was deploying the National Guard "not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle", adding: "Don't give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully." Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that if Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass can't do their jobs "then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!" The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. Senior White House aide Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner, described the protests as a "violent insurrection." The 1807 law empowers a president to deploy the US military to enforce the law and suppress events such as civil disorder. The last time it was invoked was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots at the request of the California governor. Video footage of the Paramount protest showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. Authorities began detaining some protesters, according to Reuters witnesses. There was no official information on any arrests. "Now they know that they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people - they cannot do that without an organised and fierce resistance," said protester Ron Gochez, 44. A first round of protests kicked off on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that there were about "1,000 rioters" at the protests on Friday. Reuters could not verify DHS's account. Angelica Salas, executive director of immigrants' rights organisation Chirla, said lawyers had not had access to those detained on Friday, which she called "very worrying". Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also caught up people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to requests for comment on the protests or whether there had been any immigration raids on Saturday.
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Shot Colombian presidential hopeful fighting for life
Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, a potential presidential contender, is in a critical condition after being shot at a campaign rally in Bogota. The 39-year-old senator, who was shot during a campaign event as part of his run for the presidency in 2026, is a member of the opposition conservative Democratic Center party founded by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. The two men are not related. According to a party statement condemning the attack, the senator was hosting a campaign event in a public park in the Fontibon neighbourhood in the capital on Saturday when "armed subjects shot him from behind". The party described the attack as serious, but did not disclose further details on Uribe's condition. However, his wife Maria Claudia Tarazona wrote on Uribe's account on X that her husband was "fighting for his life". "Miguel is currently fighting for his life. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him. I ask everyone to join us in a chain of prayer for Miguel's life," she wrote. Colombia's Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said a suspect had been arrested and authorities were investigating whether others were involved. Colombia's presidency issued a statement saying the government "categorically and forcefully" rejected the violent attack, and called for a thorough investigation into the events that took place. Leftist President Gustavo Petro sympathised with the senator's family in a message on X saying, "I don't know how to ease your pain. It is the pain of a mother lost, and of a homeland". US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US "condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination" of Uribe, blaming Petro's "inflammatory rhetoric" for the violence. Uribe, who is not yet an official presidential candidate for his party, is from a prominent family in Colombia. His father was a businessman and union leader. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by an armed group under the command of the late cartel leader Pablo Escobar. She was killed during a rescue operation in 1991. Colombia has for decades been embroiled in a conflict between leftist rebels, criminal groups descended from right-wing paramilitaries, and the government. Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, a potential presidential contender, is in a critical condition after being shot at a campaign rally in Bogota. The 39-year-old senator, who was shot during a campaign event as part of his run for the presidency in 2026, is a member of the opposition conservative Democratic Center party founded by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. The two men are not related. According to a party statement condemning the attack, the senator was hosting a campaign event in a public park in the Fontibon neighbourhood in the capital on Saturday when "armed subjects shot him from behind". The party described the attack as serious, but did not disclose further details on Uribe's condition. However, his wife Maria Claudia Tarazona wrote on Uribe's account on X that her husband was "fighting for his life". "Miguel is currently fighting for his life. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him. I ask everyone to join us in a chain of prayer for Miguel's life," she wrote. Colombia's Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said a suspect had been arrested and authorities were investigating whether others were involved. Colombia's presidency issued a statement saying the government "categorically and forcefully" rejected the violent attack, and called for a thorough investigation into the events that took place. Leftist President Gustavo Petro sympathised with the senator's family in a message on X saying, "I don't know how to ease your pain. It is the pain of a mother lost, and of a homeland". US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US "condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination" of Uribe, blaming Petro's "inflammatory rhetoric" for the violence. Uribe, who is not yet an official presidential candidate for his party, is from a prominent family in Colombia. His father was a businessman and union leader. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by an armed group under the command of the late cartel leader Pablo Escobar. She was killed during a rescue operation in 1991. Colombia has for decades been embroiled in a conflict between leftist rebels, criminal groups descended from right-wing paramilitaries, and the government. Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, a potential presidential contender, is in a critical condition after being shot at a campaign rally in Bogota. The 39-year-old senator, who was shot during a campaign event as part of his run for the presidency in 2026, is a member of the opposition conservative Democratic Center party founded by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. The two men are not related. According to a party statement condemning the attack, the senator was hosting a campaign event in a public park in the Fontibon neighbourhood in the capital on Saturday when "armed subjects shot him from behind". The party described the attack as serious, but did not disclose further details on Uribe's condition. However, his wife Maria Claudia Tarazona wrote on Uribe's account on X that her husband was "fighting for his life". "Miguel is currently fighting for his life. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him. I ask everyone to join us in a chain of prayer for Miguel's life," she wrote. Colombia's Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said a suspect had been arrested and authorities were investigating whether others were involved. Colombia's presidency issued a statement saying the government "categorically and forcefully" rejected the violent attack, and called for a thorough investigation into the events that took place. Leftist President Gustavo Petro sympathised with the senator's family in a message on X saying, "I don't know how to ease your pain. It is the pain of a mother lost, and of a homeland". US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US "condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination" of Uribe, blaming Petro's "inflammatory rhetoric" for the violence. Uribe, who is not yet an official presidential candidate for his party, is from a prominent family in Colombia. His father was a businessman and union leader. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by an armed group under the command of the late cartel leader Pablo Escobar. She was killed during a rescue operation in 1991. Colombia has for decades been embroiled in a conflict between leftist rebels, criminal groups descended from right-wing paramilitaries, and the government. Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, a potential presidential contender, is in a critical condition after being shot at a campaign rally in Bogota. The 39-year-old senator, who was shot during a campaign event as part of his run for the presidency in 2026, is a member of the opposition conservative Democratic Center party founded by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. The two men are not related. According to a party statement condemning the attack, the senator was hosting a campaign event in a public park in the Fontibon neighbourhood in the capital on Saturday when "armed subjects shot him from behind". The party described the attack as serious, but did not disclose further details on Uribe's condition. However, his wife Maria Claudia Tarazona wrote on Uribe's account on X that her husband was "fighting for his life". "Miguel is currently fighting for his life. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are treating him. I ask everyone to join us in a chain of prayer for Miguel's life," she wrote. Colombia's Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said a suspect had been arrested and authorities were investigating whether others were involved. Colombia's presidency issued a statement saying the government "categorically and forcefully" rejected the violent attack, and called for a thorough investigation into the events that took place. Leftist President Gustavo Petro sympathised with the senator's family in a message on X saying, "I don't know how to ease your pain. It is the pain of a mother lost, and of a homeland". US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US "condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination" of Uribe, blaming Petro's "inflammatory rhetoric" for the violence. Uribe, who is not yet an official presidential candidate for his party, is from a prominent family in Colombia. His father was a businessman and union leader. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by an armed group under the command of the late cartel leader Pablo Escobar. She was killed during a rescue operation in 1991. Colombia has for decades been embroiled in a conflict between leftist rebels, criminal groups descended from right-wing paramilitaries, and the government.
Sky News AU
5 hours ago
- Sky News AU
National Guard being deployed to Los Angeles after immigration raids spark violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement
The US National Guard is being deployed to Los Angeles after immigration enforcement raids sparked violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement. Federal agents faced off against demonstrators for a second day in a row on Saturday (local time), leading President Donald Trump to order the deployment of the National Guard. Dozens of law enforcement personnel dressed in riot gear engaged in a tense confrontation with protesters in the Paramount area of southeast Los Angeles after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted raids as part of the Trump administration's pledge to deport record numbers of illegal immigrants. President Trump condemned the action as a 'form of rebellion' as he announced 2,000 National Guard personnel would be deployed for up to 60 days. 'Numerous incidents of violence and disorder have recently occurred and threaten to continue in response to the enforcement of Federal law by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions and supporting the faithful execution of Federal immigration laws,' President Trump said 'To the extent that protests or acts of violence directly inhibit the execution of the laws, they constitute a form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.' President Trump has placed the National Guard, which is usually a state-based military force, under the command of Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth for the duration of their deployment. 'To carry out this mission, the deployed military personnel may perform those military protective activities that the Secretary of Defense determines are reasonably necessary to ensure the protection and safety of Federal personnel and property,' the President's order states. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that "1,000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property." Footage from the clashes show dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. One protester said the demonstration showed federal officials 'they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people'. 'They cannot do that without an organised and fierce resistance," said protester Ron Gochez, 44. At least one burnt-out car could be seen among the chaotic scenes, as some demonstrators displayed Mexican flags and others covered their mouths with respiratory masks. The first clashes erupted in LA on Friday night (local time) after ICE officials carried out raids and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. The raids were carried out at Home Depots in LA, where street vendors and day labourers were picked up, as well as at a garment factory and warehouse. Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the U.S.-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day. But the administration has come under fire for depriving people of due process rights and several court challenges have been filed as people legally residing in the country – including some with permanent residence – have been caught up weeping immigration crackdown has also caught up. Reuters was unable to verify DHS's accounts. Angelica Salas, executive director of immigrants rights organisation Chirla, said lawyers had not had access to those detained on Friday, which she called "very worrying." However the Trump administration has shown little willingness to deviate from its approach, with Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem declaring the protests 'will not stop us or slow us down." In a post on X, US Vice President JD Vance described the protesters as 'insurrectionists'. 'Insurrectionists carrying foreign flags are attacking immigration enforcement officers, while one half of America's political leadership has decided that border enforcement is evil. Time to pass President Trump's beautiful bill and further secure the border,' the Vice President stated. The view of the Trump administration is in stark contrast to local officials in California, with LA Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, condemning the immigration raids. "I am deeply angered by what has taken place," Ms Bass said. "These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this." Police Department officers did not take part in the immigration enforcement raids, however they were deployed to quell the civil unrest after, with a spokesperson telling Reuters police on the scene had declared an unlawful assembly, meaning that those who failed to leave the area were subject to arrest. -With Reuters
