The United Nations has said it will investigate the death in custody of an opposition councillor jailed by Venezuela’s intelligence police on allegations that he plotted to kill President Nicolás Maduro.

Venezuelan officials said that Fernando Albán killed himself by leaping from the 10th floor of the state police agency’s headquarters. But opposition leaders denied the official version.

Ravina Shamdasani with the Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said Venezuelan officials were obligated to ensure Albán’s safety while in their custody. The investigation into his death will be part of the UN’s wider investigation of alleged human rights abuses, she said.

“We are concerned about news of his death,” Shamdasani said. “We do indeed call for a transparent investigation to clarify the circumstances.”

Albán, 56, was taken into custody on Friday at Caracas’s international airport upon arriving from New York, according to his lawyer. He was in the US accompanying other members of his First Justice party for meetings with foreign dignitaries attending the United Nations general assembly.

A few dozen of Albán’s supporters gathered outside the police building yelling “Maduro killer!” contending that he had been murdered.

“There’s no doubt this was an assassination,” the opposition leader Julio Borges said in a video from exile in neighbouring Colombia, without providing evidence of his claim. “The only thing left for this government is torture, violence and destruction.”

While Venezuelans last year saw dozens of youths killed in violent street battles with security forces, the death of activists or government opponents while in state custody is a fate more associated with the far deadlier, rightwing dictatorships that dominated much of South America in the 1970s.

The opposition claims that more than 100 Venezuelans opposed to Maduro are being held as “political prisoners”, some for more than four years, with little access to the outside world and their legal rights routinely trampled on. The government denies they are political prisoners.

Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro survives apparent assassination attempt Read more

Borges, who led the delegation to the UN, said Albán’s wife told him that her husband had been under intense pressure to testify against him in the ongoing investigation into the alleged plot in early August to kill Maduro using two drones loaded with explosives.

More than two dozen people have been jailed on suspicion of involvement in the plot, which Maduro claims was orchestrated by Borges with the support of Colombia and the US.

The chief prosecutor, Tarek William Saab, ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Albán’s death, which he classified as a suicide.

ISpeaking on state TV, he said Albán was in the waiting room of the headquarters of Venezuela’s intelligence police waiting to be transferred to a courthouse when he asked to use the bathroom. He then threw himself from the 10th floor of the building, officials said.

Borges, who said Albán was a personal friend, said the councillor – who represented a district in the Caracas area – was a family man and devout Catholic who would never kill himself.

Albán’s lawyer, Joel García, said his client seemed calm when they met on the night before in the tribunal. García said authorities cannot determine that a death is a suicide without an investigation and he would ask to be present at the autopsy. </s> MADRID: Fresh from his release after four years behind bars, Venezuelan opposition activist Lorent Saleh said Saturday he had seen the sunrise for the first time since he was detained as he arrived in Madrid.

Emotional, the 30-year-old spoke to reporters and Venezuelans at Madrid’s airport just a day after being freed from the cells of state intelligence services in Caracas. “After four years I can see the sunrise, I saw it today,” he said.

His release — which was welcome by Spain on Saturday — was such a surprise that he was still digesting it, he said.

“In Venezuela there are innocent people behind bars,” he added. They “deserve to cross the bridge like I did”. His release came just four days after Fernando Alban, a Caracas city council member accused of taking part in a failed drone attack on President Nicolas Maduro, died in pretrial detention, an incident that sparked international outrage.

Authorities say the 52-year-old committed suicide by jumping out of a 10th-floor window of the state intelligence service headquarters. But his supporters and family say he was tortured to death and then thrown out. </s> Caracas (CNN) Oscar Perez, a Venezuelan police pilot accused of stealing a helicopter and using it to attack the country's Supreme Court in June, was killed Monday in Caracas, a government official told CNN.

The high-ranking member of the Venezuelan government asked to remain anonymous. CNN has not been able to independently confirm Perez's death.

But, in a Monday speech to lawmakers, President Nicolas Maduro described an operation to hunt down the "terrorist group that attacked the Supreme Court." Maduro said the targeted group was preparing a car bomb attack against the embassy of an unnamed country.

As a result of the operation, part of the terrorist group "fell down" and five people were arrested, he said, without detailing how many died or who they were. Two officers were killed in the siege, he said.

"Everyone who embarks on the path of terrorism and takes up arms against the republic -- against the people -- will get their response in due time from our armed forces and from our police forces. They should not doubt that," he said.

Read More </s> Oscar Perez, a Venezuelan police pilot accused of stealing a helicopter and using it to attack the country’s Supreme Court in June, was killed Monday in Caracas, a government official told CNN.

The high-ranking member of the Venezuelan government asked to remain anonymous. CNN has not been able to independently confirm Perez’s death.

But, in a Monday speech to lawmakers, President Nicolas Maduro described an operation to hunt down the “terrorist group that attacked the Supreme Court.” Maduro said the targeted group was preparing a car bomb attack against the embassy of an unnamed country.

As a result of the operation, part of the terrorist group “fell down” and five people were arrested, he said, without detailing how many died or who they were. Two officers were killed in the siege, he said.

“Everyone who embarks on the path of terrorism and takes up arms against the republic — against the people — will get their response in due time from our armed forces and from our police forces. They should not doubt that,” he said.

According to a statement from the country’s Interior Ministry, heavily armed men from a “terrorist cell” opened fire on police and attempted to detonate a vehicle full of explosives, state broadcaster VTV reported.

The Interior Ministry said two officers were killed and five injured, and five people from the “terrorist cell” were arrested, VTV reported. Authorities have not released the names of those killed or captured.

The encounter took place in the western Caracas neighborhood of El Junquito.

Earlier Monday, Perez posted videos on social media saying his group was under attack. In the video, Perez holds a rifle and speaks to the camera with what appears to be blood on his face.

“We are not shooting and they keep attacking us,” Perez says. “We are trying to negotiate because there are innocent people here, there are civilians … they literally want to kill us.”

Perez, an officer in the country’s investigative police force, is known for leading a helicopter attack against the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court in June. The helicopter circled the city as Perez and his group, Equilibrio Nacional (National Balance), attacked the buildings with grenades and gunfire. No one was injured.

Perez disappeared after the incident and was declared a fugitive by President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

“It is better to go out and fight for a new future than to die kneeling to this regime,” Perez said in an interview with CNN en Español that aired Friday.

The rebel pilot had earned the moniker of Venezuelan Rambo, according to the Los Angeles Times. </s> CARACAS - Venezuela has named a new chief of its state intelligence agency, according to the Official Gazette circulating on Wednesday, following the death of a politician in custody that was officially ruled a suicide but critics called a murder.

Army General Manuel Cristopher takes over the agency, known as Sebin, just weeks after the government announced that municipal legislator Fernando Alban had committed suicide by jumping from the 10th floor of the agency's headquarters in Caracas.

Opposition leaders said the government provided inconsistent accounts of the incident, and alleged Alban had been tortured and later killed by security forces.

The incident drew global condemnation, and the White House accused President Nicolas Maduro's government of involvement in Alban's death.

Chief Prosecutor Tarek Saab described opposition critics as "sorcerers of necrophilia" who were taking advantage of Alban's death to criticize Maduro.

Alban was jailed on Oct. 5 for alleged involvement in the explosion of two drones in August during a military parade that the government later described as an attempt to assassinate Maduro.

Cristopher replaces outgoing Sebin chief Gustavo Gonzalez.

It was not immediately evident whether Gonzalez resigned or would be given a new post.

The Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. </s> CARACAS, VENEZUELA (CBSMiami/CNN) — A Venezuelan police pilot accused of stealing a helicopter to attack the country’s Supreme Court in June was killed Monday, a government official said.

The high-ranking member of the Venezuelan government asked to remain anonymous. CNN has not been able to independently confirm Oscar Perez’s death.

But, in a Monday speech to lawmakers, President Nicolas Maduro described an operation to hunt down the “terrorist group that attacked the Supreme Court.” Maduro said the targeted group was preparing a car bomb attack against the embassy of an unnamed country.

As a result of the operation, part of the terrorist group “fell down” and five people were arrested, he said, without detailing how many died or who they were. Two officers were killed in the siege, he said.

“Everyone who embarks on the path of terrorism and takes up arms against the republic — against the people — will get their response in due time from our armed forces and from our police forces. They should not doubt that,” he said.

According to a statement from the country’s Interior Ministry, heavily armed men from a “terrorist cell” opened fire on police and attempted to detonate a vehicle full of explosives, state broadcaster VTV reported.

The Interior Ministry said two officers were killed and five injured, and five people from the “terrorist cell” were arrested, VTV reported. Authorities have not released the names of those killed or captured.

The encounter took place in the western Caracas neighborhood of El Junquito.

Earlier Monday, Perez posted videos on social media saying his group was under attack. In the video, Perez holds a rifle and speaks to the camera with what appears to be blood on his face.

“We are not shooting and they keep attacking us,” Perez says. “We are trying to negotiate because there are innocent people here, there are civilians … they literally want to kill us.”

Perez, an officer in the country’s investigative police force, is known for leading a helicopter attack against the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court in June. The helicopter circled the city as Perez and his group, Equilibrio Nacional (National Balance), attacked the buildings with grenades and gunfire. No one was injured.

Perez disappeared after the incident and was declared a fugitive by President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

“It is better to go out and fight for a new future than to die kneeling to this regime,” Perez said in an interview with CNN en Español that aired Friday. </s> A high-ranking member of the Venezuelan government who asked to remain anonymous confirmed Oscar Perez's death. CNN has not been able to independently confirm his death.

According to a statement from the country's Interior Ministry, heavily armed men from a "terrorist cell" opened fire on police and attempted to detonate a vehicle full of explosives, state broadcaster VTV reported.

The Interior Ministry said two officers were killed and five injured, and five people from the "terrorist cell" were arrested, VTV reported. Authorities have not released the names of those killed or captured.

The encounter took place in the western Caracas neighborhood of El Junquito.

Earlier Monday, Perez posted videos on social media saying his group was under attack. In the video, Perez holds a rifle and speaks to the camera with what appears to be blood on his face. "We are not shooting and they keep attacking us," Perez says. "We are trying to negotiate because there are innocent people here, there are civilians ... they literally want to kill us." Perez, an officer in the country's investigative police force, is known for leading a helicopter attack against the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court in June. The helicopter circled the city as Perez and his group, Equilibrio Nacional (National Balance), attacked the buildings with grenades and gunfire. No one was injured. Perez disappeared after the incident and was declared a fugitive by President Nicolas Maduro's government. "It is better to go out and fight for a new future than to die kneeling to this regime," Perez said in an interview with CNN en Español that aired Friday. </s> Venezuelan authorities have freed a prominent opposition activist jailed for four years just days after an anti-government politician died in state custody.

Lorent Saleh, 30, was immediately escorted to the airport on Friday and put on a flight to Madrid with Spanish government officials.

Upon arriving at Madrid's airport Saturday, Saleh told media and a small group of exuberant Venezuelan opposition supporters that "the fight goes on".

"What I ask is that we all think about the fact that in Venezuela there are innocent people behind bars, people that have been kidnapped and who deserve to cross the same bridge that I have," Saleh said.

Saleh said that he didn't know he was being released until the last minute.

"They had already put me in a police car and we were heading to the airport when they told me," Saleh said.

"Today I have been able to see the sunrise for the first time in four years, and I am still coming to grips with that."

His release came just days after Fernando Alban, a Caracas city council member accused of taking part in a failed drone attack on President Nicolas Maduro, died in pretrial detention, an incident that sparked international outrage.

Authorities say the 52-year-old committed suicide by jumping out of a 10th-floor window of the state intelligence service headquarters. But his supporters and family say he was tortured to death and then thrown out.

Several foreign governments and the United Nations have called for an independent investigation to determine whether foul play was involved.

A government truth commission said Saleh was at risk of causing harm to himself after being evaluated for suicidal tendencies while imprisoned. It said he should be released as part of efforts to ease political tensions in the South American nation.

Saleh was arrested in Colombia in 2014 and extradited, after he appeared on a video phone call leaked by Venezuelan authorities bragging to an unknown person about plans to hire sharpshooters to sow unrest in Venezuela.

His extradition was widely condemned by human rights groups, who argued he could never get a fair trial in Venezuela and would be subjected to harsh conditions of confinement.

News of Saleh's release on Saturday also came as a shock to his supporters, and even his mother, who rushed to a Caracas jail expecting to receive her son only to learn he had been sent to Europe.

"I didn't know anything about this. I thought he'd be turned over here, but what's important is that he's free," a weeping Yamile Saleh told journalists outside the jail.

"He tried to calm me, saying he is with people he trusts," she said after speaking to her son by phone.

Saleh thanked Spain for its role in his release and said that he hoped to see his mother soon.

Spain released a statement following Saleh's arrival saying that diplomat Juan Pablo de Laiglesia had travelled with Saleh.

The statement said Spain considered Saleh's release "the correct decision by the Venezuelan government to move in the correct direction of helping generate a climate of trust". </s> Several people, including two police officers, were killed in an operation to capture a helicopter pilot who bombed Venezuela’s Supreme Court during anti-government protests last year, the interior ministry said Monday.

A ministry statement said members of a “terrorist cell” were killed in a fierce gunbattle, and five were captured, but did not say whether the pilot, Oscar Perez, was among the dead or detained.

At the height of street protests against President Nicolas Maduro last June, Perez and unidentified accomplices flew over Caracas in a police helicopter and dropped four grenades on the Supreme Court before opening fire on the interior ministry. There were no casualties.

Perez has been on the run since Venezuelan authorities issued an arrest warrant through Interpol after accusing him of a “terrorist attack.”

The 36-year-old former elite police officer and actor has regularly taunted the government during his time in hiding, saying he was fighting against Maduro’s “tyranny” and the “narco-dictatorship.”

He urged Venezuelans “not to lose heart. Fight, take to the streets, it is time we are free.”

Two weeks after the attack on the Supreme Court, Perez — at the time Venezuela’s most-wanted man — turned up at a Caracas ceremony to commemorate those who had died in the wave of anti-government protests.

In all, 125 people were killed between April and July as authorities used force to put down protests to unseat Maduro.

Eventually, the protests fizzled out and the socialist president prevailed, despite a staggering crisis caused by falling oil prices, spiralling inflation and corruption.

“These terrorists, who were heavily armed with high-caliber weapons, opened fire on the officials responsible for their capture,” the interior ministry statement said.

It said those who resisted had been killed.

The police were “attacked violently” when they were negotiating the surrender of Perez’s group, it said, adding that they had “tried to detonate a vehicle loaded with explosives.”

AFP journalists trying to reach the area saw an army tank, special forces and ambulances rush to the scene.

Perez said in a video released on Twitter earlier Monday that he and his companions were surrounded and pinned down by police marksmen on a roadway at El Junquito on the outskirts of Caracas.

“They are firing at us with grenade launchers. We said we are going to surrender but they do not want to let us surrender. They want to kill us,” a bloodied Perez said in one of several dramatic videos posted online.

Perez, a former elite police officer, is seen with other men in one of the videos, some of them armed.

He said they were being besieged by snipers.

“We will die standing up defending our land, never kneeling before the tyrants,” another of Perez’s messages said.

Vice president of the ruling Socialist party, Diosdado Cabello, said on Twitter the Police Special Action Force (FAES) had launched the operation to arrest Perez.

He said the security forces had “responded with fire” when two officers were wounded in the operation.

Iris Varela, Venezuela’s minister with responsibility for prisons, rejoiced at the news that police had finally cornered Perez “like a rat.”

“What a coward now that he has been caught like a rat. Where is the courage he had to attack military units, kill and injure officers and steal weapons?” she wrote on Twitter.

In December, Perez claimed responsibility for an attack on a military base in the country’s north, in which weapons were seized.

Perez said in a message to his children that his fight against the government was dedicated to them and to the children of Venezuela, suffering the worst of the food and medicine shortages caused by the economic crisis.

Perez, blond and blue-eyed, was well known to Venezuelans even before his attack on the Supreme Court — as an actor. He starred in the film “Muerte Suspendida” (Suspended Death), an action movie based on the true story of the kidnapping of a Portuguese businessman in Caracas.
The Justice First politician Fernando Albán, who was arrested on Friday related to an alleged assassination attempt in August, dies whilst in custody of the Venezuelan intelligence service. The state reports his death as suicide, which is disputed by all other reports.