CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Latest on Venezuela's announcement of a drone attack aimed at President Nicolas Maduro (all times local):

People living near the site of what appeared to be an assassination attempt against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro say they saw a drone crashing into an apartment building as explosions occurred during the event.

Officials say attackers flew drones loaded with explosives toward the president during an open-air military ceremony that was broadcast on live television. Maduro wasn't injured.

Witnesses interviewed by The Associated Press on Sunday confirmed seeing at least one drone apparently linked to an explosion.

One showed a cellphone video of a drone hovering over a residential street two blocks away and then crashing into a building. While the video doesn't show an explosion, the witness said it fell and then exploded, starting a fire.

Another resident apparently saw the same drone. Maerum Gonzalez says she heard a thundering explosion and in terror ran to her fifth-floor balcony. She says she saw a drone strike the same building mentioned by the other witness and then fall. Moments later she heard a second explosion and saw black smoke rising.

President Donald Trump's national security adviser says the U.S. played no role in the apparent assassination attempt on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuelan officials say drones armed with explosives detonated while Maduro was delivering a speech to hundreds of soldiers being broadcast live on television.

Trump's adviser, John Bolton, says he can state "unequivocally" that "there was no U.S. government involvement in this at all."

As to what happened in Caracas, Bolton said "it could be a lot of things from a pretext set up by the Maduro regime itself to something else."

Maduro on Saturday did not directly blame the U.S. government, pointing instead at Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. But he asserted that the "intellectual authors" and financiers behind the plan live in Florida. And he said the attack's goal "is what U.S. imperialism is seeking" — "a Venezuela in conflict, in civil war."

He asked Trump to arrest the terrorists.

Apparently in response, Bolton said " ''If the government of Venezuela has hard information that they want to present to us that would show a potential violation of U.S. criminal law, we'll take a serious look at it." </s> Venezuelan government sympathizers on Monday rallied to show support for President Nicolas Maduro following weekend drone blasts that he called an assassination attempt, but the socialist leader surprised the crowd by skipping the event.

Maduro, whose approval ratings hover around 25 percent, with opponents blaming his policies for worsening an economic meltdown, has urged supporters to unite in the face of what he described as right-wing plots led by the Colombian government and exiles in the United States.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has scoffed at the accusations, saying he was fully focused on his granddaughter’s baptism, while U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said Washington was not involved in the blasts.

Supporters wearing t-shirts emblazoned with Maduro‘s face massed in Caracas on Monday, chanting pro-socialist slogans and enjoying subsidized corn patties.

But turnout was thin compared to previous marches, which would take over major avenues. Many in attendance were public sector employees, some of whom said they had been ordered to attend, according to Reuters witnesses. Keen supporters of late leader Hugo Chavez have increasingly soured on his far less charismatic successor.

Maduro, who made a televised speech shortly after the incident, had been due to speak from the Miraflores palace on Monday afternoon.

It was not immediately clear why he did not. The Information Ministry did not reply to a request for comment.

READ MORE: 6 detained after attempted drone attack during Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s speech

“Where is our comandante (leader)?” confused supporters asked when staff began packing up.

“We thought we would see and hear our president,” said Tony Ugarte, 43, who is in charge of the distribution of subsidized food boxes in part of the working class neighborhood of El Paraiso.

The government said suspects launched two DJI M600 drones laden with C4 explosives over an outdoor rally on Saturday afternoon, which had been held to commemorate the founding of the National Guard.

One drone was “diverted” by security forces while the second fell on its own and hit an apartment building, authorities said.

Six people have been detained, authorities said on Sunday. Intelligence agents on Monday searched an upscale hotel in eastern Caracas, workers at the hotel told Reuters, although it was not immediately evident if the searches were linked to the blasts. </s> Caracas: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday renewed his accusation against his Colombian counterpart, blaming him for what Caracas has called a drone “assassination” attempt on the Socialist leader over the weekend.

 In a video posted on Twitter shortly before midnight, the 55-year-old said police and the military had captured some of the conspirators and were now hunting the masterminds.

 “There is sufficient evidence of the participation of the outgoing Colombian government of president Juan Manuel Santos,” he added, promising to release proof “in the next few hours.”

 The allegation has worsened already fraught ties between Caracas and Bogota. Santos, who handed over power to elected successor Ivan Duque on Tuesday, has categorically denied it.

 A live broadcast of Saturday’s incident on Venezuelan state television showed Maduro interrupted in mid-speech by an explosion and looking up in confusion.

 Dozens of soldiers on parade are then seen breaking ranks and running away in panic.

 Maduro and his government said the president had been targeted by two flying drones carrying explosives. But details of the incident remain unclear, with conflicting information coming from various sources.

 The Maduro administration said Colombia had collaborated on the attack with the “ultra far-right” Venezuelan opposition, and it was financed by unnamed figures in the US state of Florida. No evidence was given to support the allegations. Thousands of exiled Venezuelans live in Colombia and in Florida.

 Maduro had been expected to address his supporters — most of them workers — who marched through Caracas in what would have been his first public appearance since Saturday’s incident. But he failed to show. The communications ministry did not explain his absence. — AFP </s> Caracas: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has survived an assassination attempt at a military event in Caracas.

Witnesses said the Venezuelan president was apparently attacked by several explosive laden drones on Saturday.

The Venezuelan information minister says the president is fine.

State television Maduro abruptly cutting short a speech, causing hundreds of soldiers present to break ranks and scatter.

Maduro wore a presidential banner and was in the capital of Caracas during a celebration of the National Guard's 81st anniversary. </s> The 'masterminds' of the alleged drone assassination attempt on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maudro have been identified, authorities said, as Brazil temporarily closed its border to people from the crisis-hit nation.

Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab told a news conference that several suspects were in custody, including two people 'caught in the act' piloting one of the drones from a car close to the scene.

He called Saturday's drone attack, in which seven soldiers were wounded, 'an attempted massacre', and Maduro has already pointed fingers at political enemies in Colombia and the United States.

The incident took place on Saturday during a parade marking the 81st anniversary of the National Guard, in the capital Caracas.

Video footage from the event shows Maduro standing flanked by military chiefs and his wife when suddenly explosions are heard.

Soldiers can be seen seen scattering away from the stage, before the broadcast was cut.

Yesterday, Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said six people have been arrested over the alleged assassination attempt, claiming two drones had been used, each carrying a kilogram (2.2lbs) of C4 explosive.

No drones could be seen in the broadcast of the event, which was cut moments after the soldiers were seen scattering away from where Maduro was standing flanked by military chiefs and his wife.

Maduro and his allies insist it was a drone assassination bid, despite no evidence being provided to prove this.

The socialist leader's critics have said they feared the Venezuelan government would use the attack to step up repression of the opposition and dissidents.

Shortly before midnight last night, Maduro renewed his accusation against his Colombian counterpart, President Juan Manuel Santos, promising to release proof 'in the next few hours.'

The allegation has worsened already fraught ties between Caracas and Bogota. Santos, who hands over power to elected successor Ivan Duque on Tuesday, has categorically denied it.

International experts have expressed similar concerns in the wake of the incident, saying it is giving the President an opportunity to distract the population from the economic crisis.

'It's the [former President Hugo] Chavez and Maduro playbook – to blame others for their problems, whether it's food shortages, inflation, medicine shortages, diseases such as polio [reappearing], which was eradicated nearly 40 years ago,' Jason Marczak, director of the Atlantic Council's Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, told Fox News.

'Colombia is increasingly seen as a scapegoat for Maduro for the problems he faces in Venezuela, problems he created in his own country,' Marczak said.

'There has been a ramp-up in Colombia's attention to the crisis in Venezuela and trying to facilitate some type of international response...to put pressure on Venezuela.'

A live broadcast of Saturday's incident on Venezuelan state television showed Maduro interrupted in mid-speech by an explosion and looking up in confusion.

Dozens of soldiers on parade are then seen breaking ranks and running away in panic.

Maduro and his government said the president had been targeted by two flying drones carrying explosives. But details of the incident remain unclear, with conflicting information coming from various sources.

The Maduro administration said Colombia had collaborated on the attack with the 'ultra far-right' Venezuelan opposition, and it was financed by unnamed figures in the US state of Florida.

No evidence was given to support the allegations. Thousands of exiled Venezuelans live in Colombia and in Florida.

On the first working day after the Maduro incident, Brazil briefly closed its northern border to Venezuelans on Monday - while allowing other nationalities entry.

It is not thought to be related to Maduro's alleged assassination attempt, as Brazil has been struggling to contain mass migration from Venezuela for some time.

The Supreme Court overturned a lower court decision that had suspended the entry of more Venezuelans until other immigrants from the country were transferred elsewhere in Brazil.

'It is not justified to take the easy path to 'close the doors' because of difficulties in hosting refugees,' Supreme Court justice Rosa Weber said in her ruling issued shortly before midnight.

The border had remained open to Brazilians and other nationalities, as well as to Venezuelans seeking to return to their home country.

It's a main crossing point for tens of thousands of Venezuelan migrants, an influx that has increased dramatically over the past two years.

An estimated 500 Venezuelans cross the land border into Brazil each day.

Maduro, a former bus driver who took over the reins from his mentor Hugo Chavez upon the latter's death to cancer in 2013, has been ruling in increasingly autocratic fashion with military support.

He controls almost all the country's institutions, and has used the supreme court, electoral authorities and a new super-legislative body, the Constitutional Assembly, to sideline the opposition-run parliament, the National Assembly.

Although he won a new six-year term in controversial snap elections boycotted by the opposition, Maduro remains widely reviled for presiding over a collapsing economy.

Inflation this year is projected to reach as high as one million percent, according to the International Monetary Fund. Oil exports - a vital money-earner for a country sitting atop the world's largest crude reserves - have declined sharply.

Venezuela's currency, the bolivar, is practically worthless and food and medicine are extremely scarce, prompting hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans to flee abroad.

The country is largely isolated internationally and is subject to US sanctions that greatly degrade Caracas's capacity to raise credit.

Maduro regularly accuses the 'imperialist' United States of plotting coups against him and waging 'economic war' on Venezuela. </s> Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Saturday he escaped an "assassination" attempt using an explosive-laden drone, after a live broadcast showed him looking confused when a bang went off during a Caracas military parade and dozens of soldiers scuttling for safety.

His government said seven soldiers were wounded in the incident.

"It was an attack to kill me, they tried to assassinate me today," Maduro said in a later state broadcast, speaking of a "flying object (that) exploded in front of me."

He said some of those involved were arrested and an investigation under way.

Maduro accused neighboring Colombia and unidentified "financiers" in the United States, while some of his officials blamed Venezuela's opposition.

Colombia denied any involvement. A senior Colombian official speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity said Maduro's accusation was "baseless."

Venezuelan state television images showed Maduro looking up disconcertedly in the middle of a speech Saturday when a bang was heard, then uniformed members of the country's National Guard lined up in the parade suddenly breaking ranks and scattering.

No drones could be seen in the television broadcast, which showed bodyguards jumping in front of Maduro to protect him with flexible ballistic shields. The broadcast was quickly cut.

"This is an attack against President Nicolas Maduro," Communication Minister Jorge Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said there was "an explosive charge... detonated close to the presidential podium" and in several other spots along the parade held in central Caracas.

Maduro "came out of it completely unharmed," he said.

The government pointed the finger at "the ultra-right wing" -- its term for the opposition.

But Maduro said: "I have no doubt that the name (Colombian President) Juan Manuel Santos is behind this attack."

He added that initial investigations "indicate that various of those financing it live in the United States, in the state of Florida. I hope that President Donald Trump is ready to fight these terrorist groups."

The parade Maduro attended was to mark the one-year anniversary of the Constitutional Assembly, a legislative body packed with Maduro loyalists that arrogated powers from the opposition-ruled National Assembly.

The head of the assembly, Diosdado Cabello, tweeted that Maduro and the assembled military chiefs had survived a "terrorist attack" he blamed on the opposition.

"The right insists on violence to take areas it can't through votes," he wrote.

Maduro has remained in power over Venezuela, a major oil exporting nation, despite a collapsing economy and a long-running political crisis that has seen his country isolated internationally.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have fled the country, where food and medicine are in very short supply, and where inflation this year could reach as high as one million percent according to the International Monetary Fund.

Maduro, a 55-year-old Socialist leader who took over from his late mentor Hugo Chavez in 2013, has effectively sidelined the fractured opposition through control of the courts and the electoral body -- and undinting support from the military, which holds key posts in his government.

Maduro often accuses the opposition and the United States of working together to foment a "coup" to topple him.

He says the economic malaise gripping Venezuela is an "economic war" and any unrest is plotted by foreign powers.

A year ago, four months of street protests flared against his authority that were put down by robust action from the army, the National Guard and police, resulting in 125 people killed.

One of the key reasons for the protests was the creation of the Constitutional Assembly, which aimed to short-circuit the National Assembly in which the opposition won a supermajority in 2015 elections.

Last year, the president said the new body replaced the elected legislature.

The Supreme Court declared the National Assembly dissolved. Although it continues to operate, its decisions are routinely annulled.

The United States and other countries have expressed alarm at the loyalist structure propping up Maduro, saying Venezuelan democracy was being undermined.

Maduro this year brought forward to May presidential elections that -- after they were boycotted by the opposition and key opposition figures were declared ineligible -- handed him a new six-year term. </s> CARACAS, Venezuela - Investigators hunting for assailants behind a failed attempt to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro with explosives-laden drones have raided hotels and seized vehicles while grilling six suspects for details of the plot.

Venezuela’s socialist government alleged Sunday that the detained suspects conspired with others in Miami and the capital of neighboring Colombia, though they offered no specific evidence. Opposition leaders criticized Maduro for broadly singling out his political opponents, and they warned that he might use the attack to further suppress his critics.

The attack came as Venezuela is reeling from an economic and humanitarian crisis and Maduro has grown increasingly isolated. Foreign nations, including the United States, are slapping economic sanctions on a growing list of high-ranking Venezuelan officials and decrying his government as an autocratic regime.

Maduro and his allies called the attack direct proof that an international plot to overthrow his socialist administration exists, while also saying that the military’s response shows he still has the loyalty of Venezuela’s soldiers.

But analysts said the images broadcast live on television when the attack struck during a Maduro speech Saturday evening made him appear vulnerable.

"Seeing trained soldiers fleeing in apparent panic and disarray before an explosion strongly contrasts with the idea of monolithic control and loyalty of security forces that Maduro prides himself on," the New York-based Torino Capital investment firm said.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, appearing on state television Sunday, said the attackers were trying to wipe out Venezuela’s entire top leadership along with Maduro.

Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said two drones, each packed with 2.2 pounds of C-4 plastic explosive, were flown toward Maduro, his wife and other top leaders as the president spoke to hundreds of troops during an event celebrating the 81st anniversary of the National Guard. One of the drones was intended to explode above Maduro and the other was to detonate directly in front of him, Reverol said.

The military managed to knock one of the drones off course electronically and the other craft crashed into an apartment building two blocks away, Reverol said.

"We have six terrorists and assassins detained," he said. "In the next hours there could be more arrests."

Reverol said two of those arrested had previous run-ins with the government, although he did not give their names. He said one took part in 2014 anti-governments protests that rocked Venezuela’s as it descended deeper into an economic crisis that is now worse than the Great Depression. The other had a warrant out for his arrest for participating in an attack on a military barracks, the interior minister said.

Investigators continued searching the blackened apartment building near the speech site, and authorities said officers also raided six hotels, where some of the suspects were arrested and “film” evidence was collected. Officials gave no details.

Two witnesses who live in nearby apartment buildings said they saw a drone hovering over a residential street Saturday evening and then heard an explosion.

One witness showed The Associated Press cellphone video of a drone crashing into a building. He said the drone fell to the ground and exploded, igniting a fire in an apartment.

Another witness, Mairum Gonzalez, described running in panic to her fifth-floor balcony, where she heard the second explosion and saw smoke rising.

"It was so strong the building shook," she said. "It terrified me."

In an address to the nation later Saturday night, a visibly shaken Maduro blamed the attack on the "far right," and he called on U.S. President Donald Trump to hold the "terrorist group" accountable.

Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, said: "If the government of Venezuela has hard information that they want to present to us that would show a potential violation of U.S. criminal law, we’ll take a serious look at it."

The Broad Front, a coalition of opposition groups in Venezuela, accused the government of making an allegation without proof.

"It’s evident that the initial reaction of the government isn’t aimed at attempting to clarify what happened but rather to take advantage of the situation and irresponsibly and sweepingly attack the ‘opposition,'" the group said in a statement.

A little-known group calling itself Soldiers in T-shirts claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it planned to fly two drones loaded with explosives at the president but soldiers shot them down. The authenticity of the message could not be independently verified, and the organization did not respond to a message from the AP.

"It was not successful today, but it is just a matter of time," the group said in a tweet.

Venezuela’s government routinely accuses opposition activists of plotting to attack and overthrow Maduro. The former bus driver has moved steadily to consolidate power as the nation struggles to reverse hyperinflation that the International Monetary Fund projects could top 1 million percent by year’s end.

Last year, amid deadly, near-daily protests, rogue police officer Oscar Perez flew a stolen helicopter over the capital and launched grenades at several government buildings. Perez and several comrades were killed in a gunbattle with police after more than six months at large.

Maduro said the attack left him convinced of the military’s support and undeterred in carrying forward the socialist revolution begun by the late Hugo Chavez.

"Venezuela will continue on the democratic, independent and socialist path," Maduro said.

Analysts believe Maduro still holds the military’s support, but also said the attack was an embarrassment for a government that prides itself on control and invincibility.

"We continue to hold as our scenario one in which Maduro remains in power for coming years," Torino Capital said in its analysis. "However, given the regime’s unpopularity and the depth of the country’s economic crisis, we believe it is important to monitor events that can become catalysts for broader protest movements leading to regime change." </s> CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan government sympathizers on Monday rallied to show support for President Nicolas Maduro following weekend drone blasts that he called an assassination attempt, but the socialist leader surprised the crowd by skipping the event.

Supporters of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro attend a rally in support of him in Caracas, Venezuela August 6, 2018. REUTERS/Marco Bello

Maduro, whose approval ratings hover around 25 percent, with opponents blaming his policies for worsening an economic meltdown, has urged supporters to unite in the face of what he described as right-wing plots led by the Colombian government and exiles in the United States.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has scoffed at the accusations, saying he was fully focused on his granddaughter’s baptism, while U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said Washington was not involved in the blasts.

Supporters wearing t-shirts emblazoned with Maduro’s face massed in Caracas on Monday, chanting pro-socialist slogans and enjoying subsidized corn patties.

“We’re willing to defend this process peacefully and through the development of ideas. But if we have to give our lives, we will,” said Henry Jaimes, 37, an employee of Caracas’ Youth Institute, as he waved a sign saying, “Alive and winning with Maduro.”

But turnout was thin compared to previous marches, which would take over major avenues. Many in attendance were public sector employees, some of whom said they had been ordered to attend, according to Reuters witnesses. Keen supporters of late leader Hugo Chavez have increasingly soured on his far less charismatic successor.

Maduro, who made a televised speech shortly after the incident, had been due to speak from the Miraflores palace on Monday afternoon.

It was not immediately clear why he did not. The Information Ministry did not reply to a request for comment.

“Where is our comandante (leader)?” confused supporters asked when staff began packing up.

“We thought we would see and hear our president,” said Tony Ugarte, 43, who is in charge of the distribution of subsidized food boxes in part of the working class neighborhood of El Paraiso.

The government said suspects launched two DJI M600 drones laden with C4 explosives over an outdoor rally on Saturday afternoon, which had been held to commemorate the founding of the National Guard.

One drone was “diverted” by security forces while the second fell on its own and hit an apartment building, authorities said.

Six people have been detained, authorities said on Sunday. Intelligence agents on Monday searched an upscale hotel in eastern Caracas, workers at the hotel told Reuters, although it was not immediately evident if the searches were linked to the blasts. </s> Drones loaded with explosives detonated close to a military event where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was giving a speech on Saturday, but he and the rest of the government escaped unharmed in what Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said was an "attack" against the leftist leader.

CARACAS: Drones loaded with explosives detonated close to a military event where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was giving a speech on Saturday, but he and the rest of the government escaped unharmed in what Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said was an "attack" against the leftist leader. Seven National Guard soldiers were injured, Rodriguez added.

A broadcast by Maduro was cut short during an outdoor speech at a military event in Caracas and soldiers were seen running before the televised transmission was cut off.

While Maduro was speaking about Venezuela's economy, the audio suddenly went and he and others on the podium looked up, startled. The camera then panned to scores of soldiers who started running, before the transmission was cut.

Venezuela is living under the fifth year of a severe economic crisis that has sparked malnutrition, hyperinflation and mass emigration.

OPEC member Venezuela's once-thriving socialist economy has collapsed since the 2014 fall of oil prices.

Last year, rogue police officer Oscar Perez hijacked a helicopter and fired at government buildings in what he said was an action against a dictator. Perez was hunted down and killed by Venezuelan forces in January.

A National Guard captain, Juan Carlos Caguaripano, early last year attacked a military base with a group of current and former military officials. He was captured soon after.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro skips a rally in Caracas following weekend drone blasts that he called an assassination attempt, surprising and confusing some supporters in attendance.