A Venezuelan opposition legislator has sought refuge in the Argentinian embassy in Caracas following the arrest of the National Assembly's vice president Edgar Zambrano.

An Argentine foreign ministry source told Reuters on Thursday that Richard Blanco of the Brave People's Alliance party was in the embassy as a guest.

Blanco was one of the ten opposition lawmakers who was stripped of parliamentary immunity by the Supreme Court this week. He appeared with opposition leader Juan Guaido in the rallies meant to stir a military uprising against President Nicolas Maduro last month.

Zambrano was arrested on Wednesday by intelligence agents who towed away his car with him inside. A tweet on his verified account said "we were surprised by intelligence agents who towed away our vehicle when we refused to leave it in order to transfer us to the Helicoide (a Venezuelan prison). We, democrats, remain on our feet to fight."

The vice president was among the deputies who had their immunity stripped.

Another opposition figure, Marianella Magallanes, who had her immunity removed sought refuge in the Italian embassy.

Guaido's chief of staff, Roberto Marrero, was arrested in March.

The Lima group, a regional bloc made up of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Canada, condemned the move to strip away immunity and to arrest Zambrano.

Even though Maduro hasn't arrested Guaido yet because of the potential strong backlash, he has tried to isolate the opposition leader by incarcerating key allies. </s> CARACAS/BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Two Venezuelan lawmakers sought refuge at foreign embassies in Caracas on Thursday, as the government of President Nicolas Maduro cracked down on allies of opposition leader Juan Guaido who supported his attempted uprising last week.

Richard Blanco of the Brave Peoples’ Alliance party entered Argentina’s embassy, according to an Argentine foreign ministry source and a Reuters witness, while Americo De Grazia of the Radical Cause party sought refuge at Italy’s embassy, according to three sources close to him.

The moves came the day after authorities arrested Edgar Zambrano, the opposition-run National Assembly’s vice president.

Blanco, Zambrano and De Grazia were among 10 lawmakers stripped of congressional immunity by the Supreme Court this week, which said the legislators should be investigated for crimes including conspiracy, treason and rebellion. Marianella Magallanes, another lawmaker, took refuge in the Italian embassy on Wednesday.

The opposition do not recognize the Supreme Court’s decisions since they say Maduro has stocked it with his own supporters. The U.S. government has threatened to impose sanctions on all of the court’s members.

Venezuela’s information ministry, Argentina’s embassy in Caracas, and Italy’s embassy in Caracas did not respond to requests for comment.

“He (Blanco) is there as a guest, we can confirm that,” an Argentine foreign ministry official said, on condition of anonymity.

Guaido invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency in January, arguing Maduro’s 2018 reelection was illegitimate. About 50 countries, including the United States and much of Latin America, have recognized Guaido as the country’s legitimate leader.

Maduro’s government has so far avoided arresting Guaido, which would likely provoke a strong international backlash. But the recent measures suggest the ruling Socialist Party is seeking to isolate him by pursuing key political allies.

“We take it as a given that the regime is going to keep escalating its repression,” Guaido said at a news conference, referring to Zambrano’s arrest. He also called for Venezuelans to take to the streets on Saturday for fresh protests against Maduro.

Zambrano was arrested on Wednesday by agents from the SEBIN intelligence service, who used a tow truck to drag away his vehicle with him inside. He tweeted that he was being taken to the SEBIN headquarters in Caracas. Authorities have not confirmed where he was being detained.

Soley Zambrano, his daughter, said she last heard from her father around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

“Minutes before it happened, he got in touch with me and said, ‘My daughter, you know who your father is: a democrat who will not give in to anything,” she told reporters outside the SEBIN headquarters on Thursday afternoon.

His arrest drew swift condemnation from the United States, which argues Maduro is a dictator who has undermined the rule of law.

“We will continue to use the full weight of the U.S. government to hold accountable those who subvert democracy and the Venezuelan constitutional order, and threaten the safety of the duly-elected National Assembly of Venezuela,” a senior White House official said on Thursday, on condition of anonymity.

The decision to strip legislators of their immunity and to arrest Zambrano was condemned as ‘unconstitutional’ in a statement on Thursday by the regional Lima Group bloc.

Other Guaido allies have already been jailed or fled to the embassies of sympathetic nations. Guaido’s chief of staff, Roberto Marrero, was arrested in March and remains in jail.

Last week, Leopoldo Lopez - Guaido’s political mentor - moved into Spain’s diplomatic residence after escaping house arrest to appear alongside Guaido during his call for the military to rise up.

The United States has slapped sanctions on state oil company PDVSA and several top figures in Maduro’s government in a bid to pressure Maduro to step aside so Guaido can take office and call new elections. This week, it removed sanctions on a former Venezuelan general it said broke with Maduro last week.

But Maduro retains control of the military and state functions. He has branded Guaido a U.S.-backed puppet seeking to oust him in a coup. </s> A Venezuelan opposition lawmaker sought refuge in Argentina's embassy in Caracas Thursday, hours after the detention of a key figure in the movement over last week's failed uprising against President Nicolas Maduro.

Richard Blanco is one of 10 National Assembly members charged with treason for supporting opposition leader Juan Guaido's call for a military revolt on April 30.

"I've come here to sleep because my life is in danger," Blanco told the VPI television station, adding that we would stay only "temporarily."

Blanco sought sanctuary after Edgar Zambrano, the vice-president of Venezuela's opposition-controlled parliament, was seized by intelligence agents on Wednesday night.

The 64-year-old's car was surrounded outside his Democratic Action Party's headquarters before it was towed, with him still in it, to the notorious Helicoide prison.

He narrated the drama in real time on Twitter, while images of the incident also circulated on social media.

"Democrats, keep up the fight!" tweeted Zambrano.

Another lawmaker, Mariela Magallanes, had escaped to the Italian embassy, Rome announced on Wednesday.

Zambrano is deputy to National Assembly speaker Guaido, who organized the April 30 revolt by around 30 members of the armed forces, many of whom subsequently fled to the Brazilian embassy.

Venezuela was plunged into turmoil in January when Guaido declared himself acting president in a direct challenge to Maduro's authority.

He has since been recognized as interim president by more than 50 countries as he steps up the pressure to oust Maduro, whom he considers illegitimate after 2018 elections widely seen as fraudulent.

But the socialist leader remains steadfast, backed by Venezuela's powerful military high command.

"We warn the people of Venezuela and the international community: the regime has kidnapped the first vice-president" of the National Assembly, said Guaido.

"They are trying to destroy the power representing all Venezuelans, but they will not achieve it," Guaido said.

The United States, European Union and several Latin American states criticized Zambrano's arrest.

On the Twitter account of its now-closed embassy in Caracas, Washington called the detention "illegal and inexcusable," warning of "consequences" if he is not immediately released.

US President Donald Trump -- whose government was among the first to back Guaido -- said he was "discussing the terrible abuses by Maduro."

Trump did not mention Zambrano but said the US would stand with the people of Venezuela "for however long it takes."

The EU and several of Venezuela's neighbors protested Zambrano's arrest while the country's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza vowed to bring to justice "accomplices to an unconstitutional military uprising,

Venezuela's Supreme Court meanwhile added three more lawmakers to the seven already indicted for treason and conspiracy over their backing of Guaido's uprising.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab says the two days of clashes that followed left six people dead.

The Constituent Assembly, which Maduro created to sideline the National Assembly, has said it would suspend the immunity of any lawmakers who backed the uprising.

Guaido said in a speech after the first indictments on Tuesday that the government's "only response... is to persecute, because they no longer govern, because they no longer have command."

Venezuela has suffered five years of recession that has seen more than 2.7 million people flee poverty, hyperinflation, food shortages and insecurity since 2015, according to United Nations figures. </s> CARACAS/BUENOS AIRES, May 9 (Reuters) - A Venezuelan opposition lawmaker sought refuge at the Argentine embassy in Caracas on Thursday, according to an Argentine foreign ministry source and a Reuters witness, after another top figure in the opposition-controlled legislature was arrested on Wednesday.

Richard Blanco of the Brave Peoples' Alliance party was one of 10 opposition lawmakers stripped of parliamentary immunity by the Supreme Court this week.

The crackdown came after they joined opposition leader Juan Guaido in rallies last month to spur a military uprising against socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

"He (Blanco) is there as a guest, we can confirm that," said the Argentine official, who asked not to be identified.

Venezuela's information ministry, Argentina's foreign ministry and its embassy in Caracas did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Guaido invoked the constitution to assume the interim presidency in January, arguing Maduro's 2018 reelection was illegitimate. About 50 countries, including the United States and much of Latin America, have recognized Guaido as the country's legitimate leader.

Maduro's government has so far avoided arresting Guaido, which would likely provoke a strong backlash. But the recent measures suggest the ruling Socialist Party is seeking to isolate him by pursuing key allies in congress.

Edgar Zambrano, the Assembly's vice president, was arrested on Wednesday by intelligence agents who used a tow truck to drag away his vehicle with him inside. Zambrano was among the deputies who had their immunity stripped this week.

Zambrano's arrest drew swift condemnation from opposition leaders and the United States, which argues Maduro is a dictator who has undermined the rule of law.

"We will continue to use the full weight of the U.S. government to hold accountable those who subvert democracy and the Venezuelan Constitutional order, and threaten the safety of the duly-elected National Assembly of Venezuela," a senior Trump administration official said on condition of anonymity on Thursday.

The decision to strip legislators of their immunity and to arrest Zambrano was condemned as 'unconstitutional' in a statement on Thursday by the Lima Group, a regional bloc comprising Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Canada.

Among other opposition figures, lawmaker Marianella Magallanes, whose immunity was stripped on Tuesday, sought refuge in the Italian embassy. Guaido's chief of staff, Roberto Marrero, was arrested in March.

Last week, Leopoldo Lopez - Guaido's political mentor - moved into Spain's diplomatic residence after escaping house arrest to appear alongside Guaido during his call for the military to rise up.

The United States has slapped sanctions on state oil company PDVSA and several top figures in Maduro's government in a bid to pressure Maduro to step aside so Guaido can take office and call new elections. This week, it removed sanctions on a former Venezuelan general it said broke with Maduro last week.

Maduro retains control of the military and state functions. He has branded Guaido a U.S.-backed puppet seeking to oust him in a coup. (Additional reporting by Johnny Carvajal in Caracas and Roberta Rampton in Washington Editing by Brian Ellsworth, Daniel Flynn and Bernadette Baum) </s> CARACAS (Reuters) - Two Venezuelan lawmakers sought refuge at foreign embassies in Caracas on Thursday, as the government of President Nicolas Maduro cracked down on allies of opposition leader Juan Guaido who supported his attempted uprising last week.

FILE PHOTO: Lawmaker Richard Blanco gives a speech to opposition supporters during a rally against the National Constituent Assembly, outside a school where a polling center will be established for a Constitutional Assembly election next Sunday in Caracas, Venezuela, July 24, 2017. REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares/File Photo

The ex-head of the state intelligence service, Manuel Cristopher, the top Maduro government official to defect during the uprising, also spoke out for the first time on Thursday, urging Venezuelans to “build a new state” and combat corruption.

The moves came the day after authorities arrested Edgar Zambrano, the opposition-run National Assembly’s vice president.

Richard Blanco of the Brave Peoples’ Alliance party entered Argentina’s embassy on Thursday, according to an Argentine foreign ministry source and a Reuters witness, while Americo De Grazia of the Radical Cause party sought refuge at Italy’s embassy, according to three sources close to him.

Blanco, Zambrano and De Grazia were among 10 lawmakers stripped of congressional immunity by the Supreme Court this week, which said the legislators should be investigated for crimes including conspiracy, treason and rebellion. Marianella Magallanes, another lawmaker, took refuge in the Italian embassy on Wednesday.

The opposition do not recognize the Supreme Court’s decisions since they say Maduro has stocked it with his own supporters. The U.S. government has threatened to impose sanctions on all of the court’s members.

Venezuela’s information ministry, Argentina’s embassy in Caracas and Italy’s embassy in Caracas did not respond to requests for comment.

“He (Blanco) is there as a guest; we can confirm that,” an Argentine foreign ministry official said, on condition of anonymity.

Guaido invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency in January, arguing Maduro’s 2018 reelection was illegitimate. About 50 countries, including the United States and much of Latin America, have recognized Guaido as the country’s legitimate leader.

Maduro’s government has so far avoided arresting Guaido, which would likely provoke a strong international backlash. But the recent measures suggest the ruling Socialist Party is seeking to isolate him by pursuing key political allies.

“We take it as a given that the regime is going to keep escalating its repression,” Guaido said at a news conference, referring to Zambrano’s arrest. He also called for Venezuelans to take to the streets on Saturday for fresh protests against Maduro.Cristopher, the ex-intelligence chief, was replaced by Maduro on April 30 and his whereabouts remain unknown. The U.S. government lifted sanctions on Cristopher this week, in a bid to encourage other top officials to withdraw support for Maduro.

“Enough with blaming the world for our country’s disgraces, and to keep demanding more sacrifices from our people while some leaders make fortunes,” Cristopher said in a video posted on Twitter by Venezuelan TV outlet NTN24.

TOWED AWAY AND ARRESTED

Zambrano was arrested on Wednesday by agents from the SEBIN intelligence service, who used a tow truck to drag away his vehicle with him inside. He tweeted that he was being taken to the SEBIN headquarters in Caracas. Authorities have not confirmed where he was being detained.

Soley Zambrano, his daughter, said she last heard from her father around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

“Minutes before it happened, he got in touch with me and said, ‘My daughter, you know who your father is: a democrat who will not give in to anything,” she told reporters outside the SEBIN headquarters on Thursday afternoon.

His arrest drew swift condemnation from the United States, which argues Maduro is a dictator who has undermined the rule of law.

“We will continue to use the full weight of the U.S. government to hold accountable those who subvert democracy and the Venezuelan constitutional order, and threaten the safety of the duly-elected National Assembly of Venezuela,” a senior White House official said on Thursday, on condition of anonymity.

The decision to strip legislators of their immunity and to arrest Zambrano was condemned as ‘unconstitutional’ in a statement on Thursday by the regional Lima Group bloc.

Other Guaido allies have already been jailed or fled to the embassies of sympathetic nations. Guaido’s chief of staff, Roberto Marrero, was arrested in March and remains in jail.

Slideshow (6 Images)

Last week, Leopoldo Lopez - Guaido’s political mentor - moved into Spain’s diplomatic residence after escaping house arrest to appear alongside Guaido during his call for the military to rise up.

The United States has slapped sanctions on state oil company PDVSA and several top figures in Maduro’s government in a bid to pressure Maduro to step aside so Guaido can take office and call new elections.

But Maduro retains control of the military and state functions. He has branded Guaido a U.S.-backed puppet seeking to oust him in a coup. </s> Image copyright EPA Image caption Mr Zambrano's car was towed by Sebin agents with him inside

The deputy of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó has been detained by the country's intelligence services.

Edgar Zambrano, vice-president of the National Assembly, refused to leave his car when approached, and as a result he and his car were towed to prison.

It is the first arrest of a senior opposition figure since attempts to spark a military rebellion against President Nicolás Maduro last week.

Mr Guaidó is recognised as "interim president" by more than 50 nations.

What happened?

Democratic Action party leader Carlos Prosperi told reporters that he had been at a party meeting with Mr Zambrano in the capital Caracas moments before the latter was arrested by agents from Venezuela's Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Sebin).

"The vehicle was surrounded," he said. "They [Sebin agents] wouldn't allow us to get to him. They brought a tow truck and his vehicle was towed away."

Venezuelan online television channel VPI posted footage of the moment Mr Zambrano was towed on Twitter.

Mr Prosperi said that he believes Mr Zambrano was taken to El Helicoide, a notorious prison in the centre of the city.

"We don't know anything about what physical condition he's in and we don't know what is happening at El Helicoide at the moment," he said.

What's the background?

The arrest comes a day after Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered that Mr Zambrano and six other National Assembly deputies be charged with treason for their alleged participation in the failed military uprising.

Read more about Venezuela's crisis:

The court asked the National Constituent Assembly (ANC), a body convened by President Maduro and made up exclusively of his supporters, to lift the parliamentary immunity of the lawmakers, which the ANC promptly did.

Since then, three more opposition lawmakers have been charged and their immunity is expected to be lifted within days.

They are: Freddy Superlano of the Democratic Action party, Sergio Vergara and Juan Andrés Mejía, who both represent the Popular Will party.

What reaction has there been?

Mr Guaidó called Mr Zambrano's arrest - in particular the towing of his car - "absurd" in a tweet he posted shortly after the incident.

There was also swift reaction from the officials from the US, a country which has been one of the strongest supporters of Mr Guaidó.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Venezuela crisis: The four countries interested in the presidential battle

On the Twitter account of its "virtual" embassy in Caracas - the embassy closed in March amid growing tensions - the US called the detention "illegal and inexcusable" and warned that if he was not released immediately, there would be consequences. However, the tweet did not spell out what those consequences would be.

The EU said Mr Zambrano's arrest was "another fragrant violation" of Venezuela's constitution and described it as "a politically motivated action aimed at silencing the National Assembly".

Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru have also called for Mr Zambrano's release.

Meanwhile, the head of the National Constituent Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, boasted about the arrest on his TV show.

To the applause and loud cheers of government supporters, he mocked the lawmaker, saying that he would have to pay for the towing of his vehicle.

Earlier Mr Cabello called Mr Zambrano "one of the principal conspirators of the coup" and said that he and his "co-conspirators" would have to "pay before the courts for the failed coup that they have attempted".

How did it come to this?

Mr Guaidó declared himself Venezuela's acting leader in January. As the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, he invoked the constitution to assume as the position of interim president, arguing that Mr Maduro's re-election last year was illegitimate.

Since then, tension between those who support Mr Guaidó and those who back Mr Maduro has increased. The military is seen as holding the key to the balance of power.

On 30 April, in a video recorded near an air force base in Caracas, Mr Guaidó called on the military to help him oust President Maduro.

Mr Zambrano was one of the lawmakers seen in later footage talking to Mr Guaidó on a flyover near the air force base. Mr Cabello said that was "enough to prove his involvement".

While a small group of uniformed men joined Mr Guaidó, the top brass of the military quickly declared its loyalty to President Maduro and the status quo was maintained.

Mr Guaidó has since told the BBC he would consider asking the US to stage a military intervention.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Self-declared interim president Juan Guaidó failed in a third attempt to oust Nicolás Maduro. What now? </s> Opposition politicians battling to bring down Venezuela’s strongman leader, Nicolás Maduro, have vowed to continue their struggle after the detention of one of their movement’s key figures signalled the start of a major crackdown.

Edgar Zambrano, the vice-president of Venezuela’s opposition-controlled parliament, was seized by intelligence agents on Wednesday night, and at least nine other lawmakers members are also facing detention on charges relating to last week’s failed uprising.

The politicians – all supporters of Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader spearheading the push to topple Maduro – are alleged to have committed a litany of offences including including treason, conspiracy, instigating insurrection and civil rebellion.

Juan Andrés Mejía, one of the targeted deputies, told the Guardian the group would not be cowed by Maduro’s “absolutely illegal and unconstitutional” counterattack.

“This is not going to work … You are not going to solve Venezuela’s problems by persecuting and imprisoning people. There are just too many of us who want change,” said Mejía, a close Guaidó ally and member of his party, Voluntad Popular (Popular Will).

“A dictatorship is trying to advance and our responsibility is to try to stop that from happening,” added Mejía, 32.

The detention of Zambrano – who was among those who joined Guaidó’s fruitless attempt to spark a pre-dawn uprising against Maduro on 30 April – sparked a wave of domestic and international condemnation.

“Maduro’s arrest of … Zambrano breaches parliamentary immunity and is a clear violation of the constitution,” tweeted the British foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt. “Feels like the act of a desperate man on borrowed time.”

The US state department slammed Zambrano’s “illegal and inexcusable” detention and warned of “consequences” if he was not freed.

Guaidó accused Maduro’s regime of “kidnapping” Zambrano, 63, who was taken to El Helicoide, a notorious political prison in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.

The spectacular building, conceived in the 1950s as a glamorous shopping centre symbolising the wealth and swagger of South America’s oil-rich answer to Saudi Arabia, now houses the headquarters of Venezuela’s spy agency, the National Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Sebin).

That feared and shadowy organisation appears to have been poised to turn on Maduro last week, with Sebin’s director, Manuel Cristopher Figuera, defecting in order to back Guaidó.

However, for reasons that remain murky, no other major military figures joined Guaidó’s movement – despite reports that weeks of secret talks had produced an agreement that they would do so.

On Tuesday – in a clear sign that Washington thinks there may still be life in efforts to unseat Maduro – the US announced it had lifted sanctions on Figuera “in recognition of his recent actions in support of democracy and the rule of law”.

The US treasury department indicated the move was designed to influence Venezuelan officials “who take concrete and meaningful actions to restore democratic order”.

In a televised address on Wednesday night, Maduro claimed “victory” over the 30 April plotters and promised to dedicate himself to rescuing Venezuela’s collapsed economy.

“It is time for a great historic rectification of the Bolivarian revolution. It’s time for a great change in the country,” Maduro said.

But other top Chavistas are more cautious and warn there may be further attempts to topple their embattled leader in the days ahead – a view shared by many political observers in Caracas.

“There could be a repeat – today, in two hours, in a week, in a fortnight,” Freddy Bernal, a senior Socialist party figure, told state television on Tuesday.

Mejía also rejected Maduro’s claim to victory, while admitting the failed uprising had also not been a triumph for Venezuela’s opposition.

“He is eventually going to leave power. He has to know that at this point. He can only choose how he wants to end this – and up to now he is choosing the worst possible way,” Mejía said.

“I think there is still hope for Venezuela. I think we are on the right path. I think things are going to change. I think we are going to have a better Venezuelan soon,” Mejía added.

“But if we want this to happen with the least humanitarian cost … then we have to act soon and we have to act together.” </s> • Venezuelan intelligence agents arrested the vice president of the opposition-led national assembly on Wednesday.
• Authorities attempted to detain Edgar Zambrano as he drove out of the opposition party headquarters, but he refused to leave his car.
• His car was then towed directly into a Caracas prison with him still inside.
• The detention is part of a larger crackdown on opposition leaders who participated in last week’s failed military uprising.

Venezuelan authorities arrested the vice president of the opposition-led national assembly on Wednesday – the first detention of a major opposition figure since last week’s failed military uprising against President Nicolás Maduro.

Edgar Zambrano was leaving his party’s headquarters in Caracas when agents from the SEBIN intelligence agency stopped his car, the politician tweeted. After he refused to leave his vehicle, security forces towed him to the infamous Helicoide prison.

“We democrats will keep fighting,” he said on Twitter.

Zambrano was among the high profile leaders who joined an attempted revolt against the socialist government last Tuesday, The Associated Press reported. He went to the Caracas bridge where opposition leader Juan Guaidó was calling for military defections, and thanked the small group of rebel soldiers who had changed allegiances.

The protest failed to spark any large scale defections.

Read more: Protestors clash with the regime as the opposition struggles to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

Maduro ally Diosdado Cabello confirmed on state television that Zambrano was arrested because of his involvement in the uprising.

“He was one of the principal bosses behind the coup,” Cabello said to loud applause. “The tow truck got him.”

Guaidó accused Maduro’s government of “kidnapping” his deputy, and undermining the people who voted opposition lawmakers into the national assembly. Guaidó and his supporters believe elections for other government bodies were rigged.

“With these actions, the usurpers want to affect the only democratic institution legitimized by the popular vote,” Guaidó tweeted.

The US State Department said Zambrano’s detention was “illegal and inexcusable.”

“If he is not freed immediately, there will be consequences,” the American embassy in Venezuela tweeted.

Wednesday’s arrest is part of a larger crackdown in response to the unsuccessful revolt.

The Constituent Assembly, stacked with Maduro loyalists, had already revoked parliamentary immunity from Zambrano and six other lawmakers so they could be prosecuted, The Guardian reported. The opposition does not recognize the decision.

The Maduro government also said it was investigating Zambrano and eight other opposition leaders for “betraying the homeland” and “instigating insurrection,” according to the AP.

Guaidó believes he hasn’t been arrested yet because Maduro fears retaliation.

“Because they’re scared. Those that try to spread or generate a perception of control are the ones that don’t have it,” Guaidó told CNN.

The US, Guaidó’s most important international backer, has already threatened military intervention in Venezuela if other avenues for Maduro’s removal do not succeed. </s> US State Department head Mike Pompeo has suffered a public meltdown, reacting forcefully that the constitutional government of Venezuela actually arrested a key member of the upper house of parliament (AN) -Pompeo reached out to world media, announcing that the Venezuelan courts moves were an "Unacceptable and illegal step."Mike Pompeo denounced the detention by Venezuelan authorities of the now-former Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly, Edgar Zambrano. In a statement released last night, Pompeo describes as an "arbitrary" and "unacceptable and illegal act" the arrest of the politician, first vice president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, which took place this Wednesday night in Caracas, at the hands of SEBIN agents.Despite Pompeo's public tantrum, widely viewed as hypocritical,According to witnesses, bodies of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) arrived at the main headquarters of the Acción Democrática party, to which Zambrano belongs. The deputy was in his vehicle, who refused to step outside. It was then that SEBIN officials pulled the deputy's car with a crane, and in a raucous scene, he was arrested by SEBIN while in his car, taken by tow-truck. It should be noted that Diosdado Cabello confirmed the arrest of Zambrano on the same Wednesday night.- the legislative body in Venezuela comparable to the house of commons or the house of representatives - authorized legislation which the executive branch and courts approved, whichwhich were previously enjoyed by members of both houses.FRN reported yesterdayThe head of the National Assembly, the leader of the opposition, Juan Guaido , announced his arrest.Earlier, Guaido acknowledged the failure of the coup attempt, which he says occurred due to the refusal of the military to go over to the side of the self-proclaimed president.Likewise, the(AN), an instance that has been in contempt since 2016, for their participation in the coup attempt. Among them, the first vice president of the AN, Edgar Zambrano.The other seven opposition deputies, whose parliamentary immunity was raided are: Herry Ramos, Luis Florido, Richard Blanco, Marianela Magallanes, Américo De Grazia, Andres Velazques and José Calzadilla.
Colleague Richard Blanco of the Brave Peoples’ Alliance party seeks refuge in Argentina's embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, following Zambrano's arrest.