ORGANISATION of American States (OAS) secretary-general Luis Almagro granted Venezuelan opposition demands yesterday for a meeting that could see Caracas suspended from the bloc.

Mr Almagro said Venezuela had suffered “grave alterations of democratic order” and called for a vote of the Washington-based OAS in the coming weeks.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appealed for international solidarity, calling for “a great movement to defend peace and independence against foreign interventionism.”

Communications Minister Luis Jose Marcano branded Mr Almagro a “puppet,” saying: “Venezuela is under attack by economic powers because we have the world’s largest oil reserves.”

On Monday, the Interior Ministry placed an opposition-controlled police force — implicated in Saturday’s brutal assassination of Major General Felix Velasquez in Caracas — under “technical intervention.”

Two of four suspects arrested over the killing were police officers from the wealthy Chacao district, whose Mayor Ramon Muchacho is member of the right-wing opposition Justice First party — part of the Democratic Unity Roundtable coalition.

Interior, Justice and Peace Minister Gustavo Gonzalez said the Chacao police director, his deputy and two other officials had been replaced.

He said the ministry had found evidence of connections between the force and criminal gangs involved in contract killings, which would soon be made public.

Mr Maduro went further, saying that staff sent by the US embassy were in daily contact with the dismissed police officials.

He claimed Mr Muchacho knew about the murder, saying he only escaped investigation: “Because he puts on his stupid face that he does, we’re going to believe his testimony!”