Fifth Republic Movement
Studying both law and criminology, El Aissami attended the University of the Andes (ULA) in Mérida, Venezuela, a city that "for decades has been a haven for guerrilla groups, both domestic and foreign". While there, he was a student of Adán Chávez Frías, the older brother of Hugo Chávez, who was said to have been a mentor to El Aissami. In 1997, he joined the National Youth Directorate of the Fifth Republic Movement to support the election of Hugo Chávez. Near the same time, El Aissami was arrested during an anti-government protest after throwing stones at authorities.