Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a sworn enemy of the U.S., has asked the FBI to help investigate what appeared to be a daring assassination attempt earlier this month involving a drone armed with explosives attacking him.
Ten people have been arrested over the failed assault, which disrupted a military parade in the heart of Caracas on Aug. 4 and was broadcast live on TV.
Mr. Maduro has accused multiple suspects of being behind the alleged plot, including “terrorist cells” in Florida, where a large community of Venezuelan immigrants live, in addition to Julio Borges, one of the country’s most prominent opposition leaders who now lives in exile in Colombia.
Mired in a massive economic slump, Venezuela is dealing with lawlessness, shortages of daily goods and Latin America’s largest refugee crisis.
Mr. Maduro, who has largely shut down his political opponents, regularly accuses Washington of fueling the country’s demise, in addition to actively working to overthrow him.
Relations are so strained that ambassadors have not been exchanged since 2010.
But during an event with top military leaders this weekend, Mr. Maduro said he would allow FBI agents into Venezuela to help investigate the drone incident.
If U.S. officials confirm “the offer for the FBI to investigate links in Florida with the assassination plan … I would agree for the FBI to come here,” Mr. Maduro said, Agence France Presse reported.
Mr. Maduro has blamed Miami-based Venezuelan citizen Osman Delgado Tabosky for masterminding the plot.
“The offer” Mr. Maduro was referring to reportedly occurred last week, according to Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, who said Washington’s charge d’affairs in Caracas, James Story, had expressed “the willingness of his government to cooperate” in probing the deadly attack.
After the incident, National Security Adviser John R. Bolton denied U.S. government involvement but did add that if Venezuela had any “hard information” about possible violations of U.S. law, Washington could “take a serious look at it.”
President Trump has ratcheted up pressure on Mr. Maduro’s socialist regime in recent months, criticizing it of destroying a once prosperous nation.
• Martin Arostegui contributed to this article.
• Dan Boylan can be reached at dboylan@washingtontimes.com.
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