Washington, Aug 6 (IANS) US National Security Advisor John Bolton has said there was no US government involvement in the recent assassination plot against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Bolton told “Fox News Sunday” that “I can say unequivocally there was no US government involvement in this at all”.

Bolton on Sunday said he had spoken to the US charge d’affaires in Caracas and was told that “Americans are accounted for”, Xinhua news agency reported.

Maduro escaped unharmed from an attempted attack of explosive drones on Saturday night during his speech to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the country’s National Guard.

Later, Maduro called the attack as an assassination attempt, and blamed it on the far-right factions in Venezuela, the Colombian government and conspirators in the US.

In an apparent 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 US criminal law, we’ll take a serious look at it.”

After Maduro’s re-election, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning US individuals or entities within the United States from purchasing any debt owed to the Venezuelan government.

The US State Department on May 23 announced expulsion of two senior Venezuelan diplomats in the US in retaliation of Caracas’ earlier expulsion of two US diplomats. </s> Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused US National Security Advisor John Bolton of preparing a plot to overthrow and murder him

He also has called out the Colombian leader Ivan Duque as being Bolton’s accomplice.

At a press conference broadcast on his Facebook page, Maduro said: .”John Bolton leads the plan to unleash violence and conduct a coup to introduce a transitional government. Bolton is preparing a plan of my assassination. He is training, in various places, mercenary and paramilitary units’ forces jointly with Colombia, whose president Ivan Duque is an accomplice of this plan”

“Bolton is preparing a plan for my assassination.”

RT reports: Trump’s national security adviser has organized the training of mercenaries and paramilitary units “in various places” to be used against Venezuela, he said.

Maduro claimed that more than 730 armed thugs are ready to launch provocations and to attack military bases in Venezuela.

According to the Venezuelan leader, Bolton’s plot is being carried out with the heavy involvement of Colombia, with its president Ivan Duque being “his accomplice.” Maduro then slammed Duque as Washington’s puppet, who “can’t even go to the toilet without permission from the US ambassador in Bogota.”

In early August, blasts were heard as Maduro attended a military parade in the capital, Caracas. The Venezuelan authorities announced that it was a failed assassination attempt against the president, which involved drones carrying bombs. Other reports insisted that the panic actually was caused by an explosion of household gas.

Maduro returned to that incident during his press-conference, saying that he had “no doubts that the drones were prepared in Colombia under the supervision of [then Colombian president Juan Manuel] Santos, but on the direct order from the White House.”

Colombia’s Foreign Ministry has said it “categorically rejects” Maduro’s accusations as well as his “unconvincing, disrespectful and slanderous words about an imaginary war that Colombia plans to start” against Venezuela.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has been vocal about its desire to see the socialist president removed from power in oil-rich Venezuela. Washington has branded Maduro a “dictator,” responsible for a crackdown on the country’s opposition. Several high-ranked US officials even mulled what they called a “humanitarian intervention” into the country.

Last year, the US imposed harsh sanctions against Venezuela’s officials and its economy, including the oil sector. The American pressure contributed to the severe social and economic crisis as the nation was hit by hyperinflation, the devaluation of the national currency and a shortage of basic necessities.

The collapse of living standards has forced more than three million to people leave the country this year in search of a better life elsewhere in Latin America, according to the UN. </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 (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 President Nicolas Maduro unleashed a hailstorm of serious accusations against the Trump administration and specifically National Security Advisor John Bolton on Wednesday, telling a press conference that Bolton is currently planning to overthrow and to kill him.

Maduro said at the press conference, which was broadcast on his Facebook page, that Bolton is in the midst of "preparing a plan of my assassination" using "mercenary and paramilitary" forces from neighboring countries.

The embattled and globally isolated Venezuelan president went into some degree of detail during the remarks outlining what he says is a conspiracy against him:

Maduro has made the charge that Washington is seeking his assassination a number of times, especially after only months ago in early August he evaded a bizarre assassination attempt involving C4-laden drones at a military ceremony in Caracas.

A constant theme of Maduro's has been that the United States would use Columbia to carry out the plot, which he emphasized in allegations made in October.

His Wednesday remarks followed prior weekend comments claiming a coup attempt was in the works. Venezuela's official AVN news agency quoted him on December 9 as saying, “An attempt to undermine Venezuela’s democratic life and to carry out a coup d’etat against the constitutional, democratic regime in our country has been launched under the coordination from the White House.”

The president announced that in the coming days he would hold another press conference to reveal further details of the alleged assassination plans, which should be interesting considering international reports are nothing his consistent lack of evidence when he brings forth such charges.

However, a bombshell New York Times report published in September suggested Maduro is perhaps right to be paranoid. The report detailed several secret meetings between the Trump administration and Venezuela military officers to talk about potential coup plans, but according to Times sources "the coup plans stalled". It had reportedly involved a "clandestine channel" ordered by the White House prior to last summer to set up contacts with "rebellious officers" bent on bringing about regime change with the help of Washington. </s> Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Wednesday that White House National Security Adviser John Bolton is heading a US plan to assassinate him and put an end to the so-called Bolivarian Revolution under way in the South American country since 1999.

"Today, I come once again to denounce the plot being prepared by the White House to violate Venezuelan democracy, to assassinate me and to impose a dictatorial government in Venezuela," the head of state said at a press conference. </s> Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro lashed out Wednesday at what he said was a plot to assassinate him directed by the White House — and involving the right-wing governments of Colombia and Brazil.

Maduro accused US National Security Advisor John Bolton of personally directing a plan to sow chaos on Venezuelan soil, with the aim of overthrowing his socialist government.

The Venezuelan leader told foreign correspondents in Caracas that his government had “good information” that Bolton had been “assigning missions for military provocations on the border.”

“I come again to denounce the plot which is being prepared from the White House to violate Venezuelan democracy, to assassinate me and to impose a dictatorial government in Venezuela,” he said.

Troops were being trained in the United States and Colombia to carry out the plot, he alleged.

US President Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart Ivan Duque have been sharply critical of Maduro’s leftist regime, and Trump in October hinted at a potential military response to resolve Venezuela’s crippling economic crisis.

“Mr John Bolton has been assigned as chief of the plan, of the plot, to fill Venezuela with violence and seek a foreign military intervention, a coup d’etat, and impose what they call a transitional government council,” said Maduro, who said he had corroborating foreign sources for his claims.

“Brazil’s military forces want peace. Nobody in Brazil wants the incoming government of Jair Bolsonaro to engage in a military adventure against the people of Venezuela,” Maduro said.

The Venezuelan leader had already castigated Washington in a speech on Sunday, saying it planned to carry out a coup with support from Colombia, although on that occasion he did not mention Brazil.

Bolton and Bolsonaro met late last month in Rio de Janeiro — the first high-level meeting between a senior US official and the far-right leader, who takes office on January 1.

Maduro raised Washington’s ire this week by announcing military exercises on Venezuelan soil with the participation of Russia, which sent two nuclear-capable long-range bombers to Caracas.

The move drew condemnation from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

He said the deployment was a case of “two corrupt governments squandering public funds, and squelching liberty and freedom while their people suffer”.

Russia sent the planes following a visit to Moscow last week by Maduro for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who expressed support for the beleaguered socialist government.

Maduro, 55, begins a second six-year term on January 10, having won elections in May that were boycotted by the opposition. </s> President Donald Trump has repeatedly refused, most recently in a speech Monday, to rule out using the military to end the tyrannical socialist rule of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, concerning many with little appetite for a major U.S. military intervention in yet another country.

“We seek a peaceful transition of power, but all options are open,” President Trump told an audience in Florida on Monday.

Several reports have indicated that, while Trump has mulled the option of deploying troops to aid the Venezuelan opposition, the White House has opted against such a measure. Lost in the discussion of military action in Venezuela, however, has been Maduro’s consistent threats to use Venezuelan soldiers to attack and kill Americans.

Throughout his tenure, which began with the death of dictator Hugo Chávez in 2013, Maduro has called for special military training to attack Americans and threatened that no American will “make it out alive” if they attempt to join pro-democracy Venezuelans in the country demanding he step aside.

Below, five examples of Maduro threatening Americans with military action if they continue to defend the human rights of Venezuelans.

A month before the United States accepted the constitutional removal of Maduro from power, replaced by current interim President Juan Guaidó, Maduro led a massive military rally against the United States, calling himself a “warrior of peace” but warning that American troops – and Brazilian and Colombian ones if they created a coalition – would “not make it out alive” if they entered Venezuela.

To his soldiers, he advised, “You must be ready to go to the heart of the enemy who dares touch Venezuelan soil – to go to the heart of the enemy and to tear out his heart in his own territory,” implying a willingness to invade the United States.

Maduro himself may have no delivered this warning, but it came from one of his most powerful henchmen: Diosdado Cabello, the former head of the fraudulent socialist “national constituent assembly,” television host and alleged head of the Cartel de los Soles, an intercontinental cocaine trafficking outlet. The United States launched a probe against Cabello in 2017 after evidence surfaced that he had ordered the assassination of Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) for exposing his ties to drug trafficking, calling Cabello the “Pablo Escobar of Venezuela.”

It was Cabello that Maduro chose to deliver a message to the United States in October, saying the troops are “fully prepared” to kill Americans.

“Our Armed Forces, I believe, are prepared to resist those attacks of the North American imperialism and of the European Union, because they have a great conscience,” Cabello said during an address to troops.

In yet more remarks to the military at an event organized by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Maduro threatened once more that Americans would have no way of escaping Venezuela alive if troops landed in the country.

“Don’t make a mistake, imperialist sirs … if the imperialists dare break the rules of the game, you [the military] will go to the streets, to charge to the battle, towards total and radical revolution!” Maduro told the crowd. “If the imperialists try anything against this country, which it is likely they will enter, it’s not clear how they are going to get out.”

Maduro and the Venezuelan regime typically use “imperialism” and “empire” as a nickname for the United States.

In August 2017, Maduro ordered the establishment of “civic-military exercises” to teach Venezuelan civilians how to conduct war against Americans. The exercises featured out-of-shape, malnourished Venezuelan men attempting obstacle courses, training to beat each other with rifles, and learning how to shoot firearms. At least one man died of a heart attack from overexertion.

Maduro proclaimed the exercises necessary and spent much of September claiming that Venezuela had been “shamelessly threatened by the most criminal empire to have ever existed and we have an obligation to prepare ourselves to guarantee peace.”

To America, Maduro said in September, Venezuela has “firearms, missiles, and well-oiled tanks prepared … to defend every palm tree in our territory.”

“Venezuela has the most modern missile system that our Armed Forces have ever had in history,” he warned America.

Maduro’s belligerence against America was not limited to the Trump administration, which has been more vocal than its predecessor in condemning the socialist regime’s widespread human rights abuses. In March 2015, Maduro ordered special military exercises to protect from President Barack Obama, who Maduro claimed was plotting to invade the country.

“It is necessary to mark defensive points so that nobody will ever touch our country, the yankee boot will never touch us,” Maduro announced.

Maduro also demanded that more Venezuelans join the armed forces to fight the United States and prevent Venezuela from becoming “Libya or Iraq.” </s> Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has accused the US of attempting to assassinate him, claiming he has uncovered a plot that leads directly to the White House.

Mr Maduro repeated his frequent warning that a US invasion is imminent - this time giving some details but no evidence.

He accused President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton of overseeing a plot to replace him with a dictator. He alleged that Washington is using "dirty dollars, bled from the US empire" to train 734 mercenaries with in neighboring Colombia to carry out the plot.

"I have no doubts that the US administration including John Bolton has plans for Venezuela," Mr Maduro said on state TV. "I also have absolute and unending faith in Venezuela's armed forces."

Venezuela is in a historic economic crisis after two decades of socialist rule. The United States has imposed financial sanctions on Mr Maduro and dozens of top officials to press for what it calls a return to democracy.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announces in a public broadcast that the United States President Donald Trump has sent an order to assassinate him.