New developments in the investigation into the assassination attempt against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro were released during a televised presidential address Monday.
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Venezuela Arrests 3 in Connection to Attack on President Maduro
The president confirmed the arrest of Henryberth Emmanuel Rivas Vivas, aka Morfeo, who was behind the attack on Aug. 4. Morfeo was one of 43 implicated in the attempted assault and was arrested with the help of heat-detecting drones, Maduro said.
Police believe another accomplice in the attack is hiding in Spain and the suspect’s extradition will be requested in the near future, the president continued. Testimony gathered from Morfeo Saturday shows that diplomats in Chile, Colombia, and Mexico could be involved.
Jorge Rodriguez, minister of communication, demanded explanations from Colombia, Mexico, and Chile over allegations made in a recorded confession by Morfeo in Caracas.
"There are governments like the one in Chile that are implicated in this operation; there is constantly more evidence, deserters of the Chilean President Sebastián Piñera's right-wing government. It is becoming more involved and muddied in this operation," said Maduro.
"If they had killed us they would have said 'no Maduro committed suicide given the political crisis', or 'Maduro was killed by the Armed Forces to save the country' and who knows what else they would have said ... had they succeeded with their bomb,” the Bolivarian leader said.
For that reason, the president requested the United Nations to lead an independent investigation into the evidence and testimonies which have been gathered over the last two months since the perpetrated attack.
"It should be done in the most transparent way possible. ... We ask for an independent commission at the international level, so I am going to request before the United Nations system, to collaborate with us in order to go to the truth, and to do justice," he said.
The leaders of the failed attack Henryberth Rivas, aka Morfeo; Angela Lisbeth Esposita, known as "La Perrera;" and a retired colonel, nicknamed "Corocoro," were captured on Sept. 22 by state security agencies, the Minister for Communication and Information of Venezuela Jorge Rodriguez reported Sunday.
The minister said that Venezuela continues to search for two people known as "Pastor" and "Latino."