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Caracas, March 22, 2019 ( venezuelanalysis.com ) – Self-proclaimed 'Interim President' Juan Guaido's chief of staff was arrested in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Roberto Marrero, a high-ranking figure in Guaido's Popular Will party, was reportedly detained after a raid on his home by Venezuelan intelligence service SEBIN. Marrero's lawyer, Joel Garcia, told press that his client is being detained in SEBIN headquarters at El Helicoide in Caracas.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Nestor Reverol gave a press conference on Thursday afternoon in which he claimed Marrero led a 'terrorist cell' that was planning attacks against public institutions using foreign mercenaries.
'Marrero was the person responsible for organizing these criminal groups,' Reverol told reporters, adding that a number of weapons as well as foreign currency had been seized. He added that the operation was done in coordination with the Attorney General's office, and had a court-ordered arrest warrant.
Marrero's bodyguard, Luis Alberto Paez, was also detained in the operation, according to reports. According to local witnesses at the time of the arrest, Marrero claimed that the weapons had been planted in his apartment.
The arrest drew a swift response from opposition leaders and US officials.
'As they cannot take the interim president prisoner, so they seek out people closest to him,' Guaido said in a press conference, adding that 'Operation Freedom' continues around the country. When pressed about calling for a foreign intervention, the opposition leader said he would 'demand whatever is required' to 'put an end to the usurpation.'
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on Twitter that the US condemned the arrest of Marrero, calling for his immediate release. 'We will hold those responsible accountable,' he added.
Trump's Special Envoy for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, likewise vowed 'consequences' for those involved in Marrero's detention. Abrams is known for his leading role in the Reagan administration's Central America policy, including the Iran-Contra scandal, and later for advising George W. Bush in the lead up to the war in Iraq.
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