Opposition deputy and right-wing Popular Will party member Gilber Caro was arrested on charges of terrorism after being pulled over in his car with explosives and ammunition, authorities stated Wednesday.

The substitute deputy in the National Assembly was found at a roadway toll with plastic explosives, a rifle and 20 cartridges of ammunition in addition to a large sum of cash, Vice President Tareck El Aissami said during a broadcast news conference.

The vice president, who was recently appointed to the position by President Nicolas Maduro in the beginning of January, added that the Popular Will party is “responsible for the violence in the country” and is “anti-democratic.”

“Who knows how many lives would have been lost if we had not stopped this threat,” Aissami said, also suggesting that the arrest prevented a destabilization plot and that Caro was acting on the grounds of terrorism.

Caro, who reportedly was with his girlfriend in the vehicle on his way home from a family trip, has a criminal record that included drug trafficking and murder charges, the vice president said during the conference.

“This is no more than an excuse to imprison, demobilize and intimidate those of us at the forefront of the nonviolent fight for democratic change,” The Wall Street Journal reported that Popular Will had said in a statement.

The Venezuelan government has clashed with opponents of Maduro in the past. Four jailed opponents who were arrested on allegations of starting violence and plotting against the government in 2014 and 2015 were released in December, but activists said there were at least 100 more who were still in jail and wrongfully convicted.

The arrest of Caro came on the heels of an approval by Venezuela’s Congress of a resolution stating that Maduro had “abandoned his post” — an effort by the opposition to remove him from office.

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