What’s Going on in Venezuela? Helicopter Attack Highlights Turmoil

A police helicopter attacked the Venezuelan Supreme Court Tuesday in Caracas amidst a months-long crisis that has gripped the nation.

The helicopter appeared to be stolen from Venezuela’s investigative police force and piloted by one of its officers, Oscar Pérez, according to CNN. The helicopter, with Perez at the helm and several masked men aboard, shot at and dropped grenades onto the court building. No one was hurt in the attack that lasted approximately two hours.

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called the incident an attempted coup by "terrorists." Pérez appeared in a video posted on Twitter where he is surrounded by masked men and is calling for a revolution against “this transitional, criminal government.”

“We are nationalists, patriots and institutionalists,” Pérez said, according to a translation by the New York Times Wednesday. “This fight is not against other state security forces. It is against the impunity imposed by this government. It is against tyranny. It is against the death of young people fighting for their legitimate rights.”

Pérez, his crew and the helicopter are all still at large. According to the BBC, Pérez has been part of the investigative police for 15 years and is part of the Special Actions Brigade, where he is chief of operations for the division of the Air Force. The Venezuelan government claimed Pérez has ties to the U.S. and the CIA.

Maduro said government security will investigate the attack.

Pérez’s Instagram account is full of photographs and videos of the man flying helicopters, posing with police dogs and scuba diving with guns. It also depicts him often posing with children and wearing nice suits. Pérez also played a role in a Venezuelan film called “Suspended Death,” and was listed on the film as a producer.

Venezuela has experienced months of turmoil, and protests against the government that has left 70 dead. The country has experienced soaring inflation and shortages of food and medicine. Most are struggling to purchase basic necessities. Oil revenue, which has long fueled the economy, has dropped precipitously as oil prices fell.

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The Supreme Court of Venezuela has been a lightning rod for protests. The bench is seen as packed with Maduro allies and had made two rulings that are perceived to have empowered him and weakened democracy. In March, the court dissolved the legislative branch of the government, the National Assembly, and transferred their power to the Supreme Court. Maduro had the court reverse the decision because of widespread protesting and criticism of the move. The court ruled Tuesday to transfer many investigative abilities from Attorney General Luisa Ortega to a high-ranking official in Maduro’s party.

The current National Assembly scuffled with the National Guard shortly before the attack, as they tried to get answers to why the guardsman came into the assembly with ballot boxes. Maduro called for the election of a Constitutional Assembly to re-write the constitution with elections to take place this year.