VENEZUELAN counterintelligence agents arrested seven high-ranking military officers yesterday morning over an apparent coup plot.

The recently formed anticoup commando of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service also had an arrest warrant for former interior minister Major General Miguel Rodriguez.

The unit was formed just days before by new Vice-President Tareck El Aissami, who was appointed last week by President Nicolas Maduro with a special mandate to crack down on plotters.

Former general Raul Baduel, who was released on parole in 2015 after serving time for corruption, had his freedom revoked by a court after agents who raided his home found him absent in breach of his conditions.

The arrests followed that of far-right opposition Popular Will party MP Gilbert Caro in Carabobo state in the early hours of Wednesday.

Party leader Leopoldo Lopez was jailed for almost 14 years in 2015 for inciting the 2014 “Guarimba” regime-change riots.

Other party members arrested last year for explosives possession were released during the talks as a concession to the opposition.

Intelligence agents found in Mr Caro’s car an automatic rifle with army markings but the serial numbers erased and a full load of 20 cartridges, along with three blocks of plastic explosive — also suspected to have been stolen from army stocks.

They also found large sums of cash and documents detailing plans, routes and objectives, “including names of leaders of opposition parties as targets for assassination to later blame on the government,” said Mr Aissami.

“Caro came sowing violent groups for destabilisation up and down of the country.

“He confesses he was going to a meeting with the mayor of Naguanagua, also a militant of this anti-people organisation, Alejandro Feo La Cruz.”

Mr Aissami said Mr Caro had met three other “elements” in western Tachira state on Sunday before briefly crossing into neighbouring Colombia and returning overnight without registering with border police.

Vatican-mediated talks between the United Socialist Party government and the Democratic Unity Roundtable opposition are set to resume today.

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