Venezuela's Maduro declares himself 'alive and victorious' after alleged assassination attempt

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was not harmed by a drone carrying explosives which allegedly targeted him for assassination during a Saturday speech in Caracas.

The Maduro government has labeled the incident an attack and says seven soldiers were wounded. Footage of the speech shows Maduro and his wife reacting to a noise and looking to the sky, but an Associated Press report suggests some firefighters at the scene have questioned the regime's account.

Maduro blamed domestic critics and the outgoing president of Colombia for the attack, appearing on television several hours later to declare himself "alive and victorious."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Read about Venezuela's years-long crisis — and the Maduro regime's role in it — here at The Week.