Opposition leader allied with Guaidó arrested in Venezuela

Thursday, 9 May 2019 13:58

Opposition leader Juan Guaido's congressional deputy has been detained in Venezuela with intelligence agents using a tow truck to drag his vehicle away with him inside.

According to reports, agents from Venezuela's Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Sebin) towed Edgar Zambrano's car to prison after he refused to step out of it.

This is the first arrest of a lawmaker since Guaido tried to launch a military rebellion against President Nicolás Maduro last week.

The latest development has prompted the US government to warn of "consequences" if he was not released, calling his detention "illegal and inexcusable".

On Tuesday, Venezuela's pro-Maduro Constituent Assembly had agreed to strip Zambrano and six other lawmakers of their parliamentary immunity to start prosecution against them.

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