A federal agent sought to convince the president’s chief pilot to Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, to betray him. He presented him with a bold proposal: stealthily divert the plane where the president was going to a place where American authorities could detain him.
In exchange, the agent told the pilot in a clandestine meeting, they would make the aviator become a a very rich man as stated by AP. The conversation was tense and the pilot left without committing, although he gave his cell phone number to the agent, called Edwin Lopez.
Over the next year, even after retiring from his government job, López persisted and exchanged text messages with the pilot through an encrypted messaging application.
Audacious plan by a federal agent: convince Maduro’s pilot to betray the Venezuelan leader
Interest in regime change in Venezuela has gained momentum since President Donald Trump returned to office, who ordered the deployment of thousands of troops, attack helicopters and warships to the Caribbean to attack fishing boats suspected of smuggling cocaine from Venezuela.
“I am still awaiting your response,” López wrote to the pilot on August 7, and attached a link to a press release issued by the Department of Justice announcing that the reward had increased to $50 million.
Details of the plan—which ultimately failed—were gleaned from interviews with several current and former U.S. officials, as well as one of Maduro’s opponents.
All spoke on condition of anonymity either because they were not authorized to say anything about the initiative or for fear of retaliation for revealing it. The Associated Press also reviewed text message exchanges between Lopez and the airman.
Attempts to locate the pilot, the Venezuelan general Bitner Villegasthey were not successful. For his part, neither US Department of Homeland Security Nor did the Venezuelan government comment on the matter.
Nicolás Maduro asked to remove the nationality of the opponent Leopoldo López for “promoting a foreign invasion”
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, confirmed this Saturday who requested the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) withdraw the nationality of the opposition leader Leopoldo Lopezwhom he accused of “criminal“for his”call for foreign military intervention” after an interview in which the political exile stated that we should “advance towards objectives within the national territory.”
As detailed, the formal request was presented on Friday before the highest court and relies on the article 130 of the Venezuelan Constitutionwhich obliges citizens to “honor and defend the homeland.” In that framework, Maduro maintained that López “permanently promotes the economic blockade” and seeks to “undermine national independence in complicity with foreign enemies.”.
Source: Ambito
