Venezuelan opposition attempted state coup jointly with criminal gangs

In Yvan Gil Pinto words, the involvement of criminal organizations for political purposes was “designed by the CIA of the United States”

Venezuela’s ultra-right opposition teamed up with criminal gangs and resorted to cyberattacks in an attempt to overthrow the government, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto said at a meeting with diplomats.

“The Aragua Train and Llano Train criminal organizations were hired by the opposition for a state coup <…> and were used for the purpose along with a campaign on social networks and a cyber coup,” the Globovision TV quoted top Venezuelan diplomat as saying.

In his words, the involvement of criminal organizations for political purposes was “designed by the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] of the United States.”

Simultaneously, massive cyber attacks were launched against Venezuelan governmental institutions, with at least 25 million of them targeting the foreign ministry’s website alone.

Gil Pinto said the opposition’s so-called influence agents “are paid to unleash a social media campaign aimed at overthrowing Venezuela’s legitimate and constitutional government.”

Venezuela held presidential elections on July 28. The National Electoral Council announced after processing almost 97% of ballots that 51.95% of people voted for the incumbent President Nicolas Maduro, while 43.18% voted for his main rival, the candidate from the far-right-wing opposition Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. One of the opposition leaders, Maria Corina Machado, said on the day of the vote that Gonzalez’s team was not going to concede defeat.

The next day, protests and riots broke out in the centre of Caracas. According to Venezuelan authorities, more than 2,200 rioters were detained for arson and other offenses. Public order was restored in Caracas and other cities within 48 hours.

Russia, Bolivia, Honduras, Iran, China, Cuba and Nicaragua have congratulated Maduro on his presidential win. Meanwhile, a number of countries, including Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Uruguay and Chile, refused to recognize Maduro’s re-election. The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry announced a move to recall its diplomats from these countries and demanded a reciprocal step from them.