Venezuelan Minister of Communications Jorge Rodriguez held a press conference Thursday during which he showed evidence of the coup attempt by members of the right-wing opposition against the legitimately elected constitutional President Nicolas Maduro, with the unsurprising participation of the United States and other governments.
The official credited a Venezuelan intelligence operation for acquiring knowledge of the plot, announcing that retired National Guard Colonel Oswaldo Valentín García Palomo was arrested after sneaking into the country to organize and execute a military coup.
Garcia Paloma’s wife, Sorbay Pailla, is quoted in a January 29th report by The Associated Press that she last heard from her husband on Sunday after he entered the country clandestinely from Colombia. She said contacts within the DGCIM military intelligence unit told her that he was arrested in the western state of Barinas. The AP were unable to verify the arrest at the time, since the Venezuelan government had yet to announce Garcia Paloma’s capture to the public.
Rodriguez is now officially confirming that arrest on behalf of the Venezuelan government. He denounced the U.S. and Colombian governments for their brazen outright support of the coup attempts: one in May of 2018 in the framework of early presidential elections demanded then subsequently boycotted by the opposition, and another in January 2019, which have already been defeated.
Rodriguez continued to present details to the press about how García Palomo coordinated the majority of the regime change operation from the border city of Cúcuta, Colombia, with numerous trips to Miami throughout the entire time, despite an INTERPOL request for capture by the Venezuelan government.
After his arrest, García Palomo has given numerous statements and in view of the seriousness of his confessions, the Venezuelan prosecutor approved showing part of his confessions to the public and the media.
* This article was expanded from original source at Telesur English.
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