Details about the arrest of the opposition leader in Venezuela are still unclear

Aides to Venezuela’s opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, said she had been arrested on Thursday, followed by a brief official denial, in a confusing episode that capped a day of protests seeking to stop President Nicolás Maduro from clinging to power.

It is not clear what happened after Machado waved goodbye to hundreds of fans, jumped on a motorcycle and ran with a security convoy through the empty streets of eastern Caracas to an undisclosed location.

At 3:21 p.m. local time, Machado’s press team said on social media that security forces “violently seized” his motorcade. His aides later confirmed to the Associated Press that the former opposition minister had been arrested, and international condemnation quickly came from Latin American leaders even more than demands for his release.

But an hour later, a 20-second video of Machado was posted online by a Maduro supporter in which the opposition leader said he was followed after leaving the meeting and dropped his bag. “I’m good, I’m safe,” Machado said in a green voice, adding “Venezuela will be free.”

THOUSANDS OF OPPOSITION SUPPORTERS IN VENEZUELA ARE ON THE MOUNTAINS AHEAD OF MADURO’S THIRD INVESTIGATION.

His aides later said on social media that the video message of proof of life was forced, and that after recording it he was released. They said he would provide details of his “abduction” later.

Meanwhile, Maduro’s supporters denied that he had been arrested and were happy that the government’s opponents were trying to spread fake news to create a global crisis. “Nobody should be surprised,” said Communications Minister Freddy Nanez. “Especially since it came from the fascists, who were the creators of the dirty trick.”

Earlier on Thursday, Machado spoke to hundreds of supporters who heeded his call to take to the streets a day before the ruling party’s National Assembly is set to swear in Maduro to a third six-year term despite strong evidence that he has lost the presidential election.

“They wanted us to fight each other, but Venezuela is united, we are not afraid,” Machado shouted from the top of a truck in the capital a few minutes before it was reported that he had been arrested.

Machado, 57, is a hardline lawyer who remained in the fight against Maduro even after many of his allies in the opposition leadership fled, joining the exodus of some 7 million Venezuelans who have left their country in recent years.

Loyalists who control the country’s judiciary barred him from running against Maduro last year. In a smart move, he backed an unknown outsider – retired diplomat Edmundo González – who crushed Maduro by more than two to one, according to voting machine records collected by the opposition and verified by international observers.

González, invoking the name of the president-elect who is respected by the US and other countries, was among those calling for Machado’s release after what was believed to be his shock arrest.

“To the security forces, I warn you: don’t play with fire,” he said on social media from the Dominican Republic, where he met with President Luis Abinader and a delegation of former presidents from across Latin America.

There was a small number of people who attended Thursday’s protests as riot police were deployed. Venezuelans who have seen Maduro’s security forces round up large numbers of dissidents and regulars since July’s election have been reluctant to rally in the same numbers as they did before.

“It’s true, there are few people,” said empanada vendor Miguel Contrera as National Guard soldiers carrying combat shields filled the motorbikes. “There is fear.”

Those protesters who came blocked the main road in one of the strongholds of the opposition parties. Many were elderly and dressed in red, yellow and blue, answering Machado’s call to wear the colors of the Venezuelan flag. They all rejected Maduro and said they would accept González as the legitimate president of Venezuela.

The deployment of security forces and pro-government armed groups known as “colectivos” to intimidate opponents reveals Maduro’s deep insecurity, said Javier Corrales, a Latin America expert at Amherst College.

Since the election, the government has arrested more than 2,000 people – including 10 Americans and other foreigners – who said they were planning to overthrow Maduro and create chaos in the oil-rich South American country. This week alone, masked gunmen have arrested a former president, a popular outspoken activist and even González’s son-in-law while he was taking his young children to school.

“It’s an impressive show of strength but also a sign of weakness,” said Corrales, who co-authored this month’s article, “How Maduro Stole Venezuela’s Vote,” in the Journal of Democracy.

“Maduro is safe in office,” said Corrales, “but he and his allies realize that they are moving forward with a big lie and they have no other way to justify what they are doing than relying on the military.”

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, also full of government loyalists, declared Maduro the winner of the election. But unlike previous contests, authorities did not provide access to voting records or precinct-level results.

The opposition, however, collected statistical papers from 85% of electronic voting machines and posted them online. They showed that his candidate, González, defeated Maduro by more than two to one. Experts from the United Nations and the Atlanta-based Carter Center, both invited by Maduro’s government to observe the election, said the statistics published by the opposition were legitimate.

The US and other governments have also recognized González as the president-elect of Venezuela. Even many of Maduro’s former allies and supporters in Latin America plan to skip Friday’s swearing-in ceremony.

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President Joe Biden, who joined González at the White House this week, praised the retired speaker for having “inspired millions.”

“The people of Venezuela deserve a peaceful transfer of power to the winner of their presidential election,” Biden said after the meeting.