Opposition forces are responsible for attacking Venezuela’s National Electric Corporation, or Corpoelec, in Tachira state, Electric Energy Minister Luis Motta Domingues has said. Late Tuesday night, the administration building was set ablaze after two motorists threw Molotov cocktails in what the ministry called a "destabilizing strategy." Police said they are inspecting the remains of the four-story property for grenades. "This is an act of terrorism and complete paramilitarism by the Venezuelan right,” Motta said during a phone interview aired on national television, explaining that the building was also used by a Comprehensive Diagnostic Center. When the attacks began, patients, doctors, families and staff were evacuated in a panicked flurry. “In less than a week, there are eight captured and four dead, two skyscrapers demolished and now the headquarters of Corpoelec in Tachira," he added, explaining that police found another person who was electrocuted Tuesday while attempting to sabotage circuits in Apure. Authorities reportedly apprehended two other suspects. “In this case, as it is an administrative headquarter, you cannot claim that they were stealing a cable or were stealing a transformer,” the minister said, denouncing the motives for the attack. He added that it was undoubtedly the work of the right-wing opposition that has refused to recognize recent municipal elections. Motta reassured citizens that necessary preventative measures are being taken and implemented by government authorities, adding that President Nicolas Maduro has also called for a meeting with the Defense Council to discuss the security breaches. Motta said defense ministers requested reinforcements earlier that day to ensure security at both the regional and municipal level. "We have to unite to face this war,” he said, saying the aggressors seek to create an environment of fear with their attacks. However, authorities will not allow the actions of a few to threaten the public’s right to freedom of speech and right to live in peace, Motta affirmed. Requests to apply the Organic Law of the Electric Service, which delivers up to 30 years in prison as a penalty for acts of terrorism, is reportedly under consideration in the Public Ministry. Source URL |
