Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido says he ‘won't be intimidated’ by arrest of his chief of staff Roberto Marrero
- Predawn raid to arrest Marrero described by Maduro as a ‘vile, vulgar kidnapping’
Juan Guaido, the opposition leader backed by the US and other countries as Venezuela’s interim leader, said Thursday that “we won’t be intimidated” after the arrest of his chief of staff by President Nicolas Maduro’s regime.
The arrest of his aide Roberto Marrero in a predawn raid was a “vile, vulgar kidnapping”, he told a news conference, but “it won’t make us deviate from the path we are on”.
Around 15 intelligence officers grabbed Marrero and took him to an unknown location, Guaido and other members of the opposition said. An opposition lawmaker who lives in the same building told journalists his home was also raided but he was not arrested.
The United States has warned Maduro’s government against touching Guaido or his inner circle, threatening unspecified consequences.
US President Donald Trump has said repeatedly, as recently as Tuesday, that he was considering “all options” in his drive to remove Maduro from power and see Guaido take charge.