Video in the player above shows Venezuelan opposition supporters clashing with security forces.
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó took to the streets with a small contingent of heavily armed troops early Tuesday in a bold attempt to lead a military uprising against President Nicolas Maduro.
The early-morning rebellion seems to have only limited military support, but it was by far the most serious challenge yet to Maduro’s rule since Guaidó declared himself the country’s interim president in January.
The dramatic events began Tuesday when Guaidó, flanked by a few dozen national guardsmen and some armored vehicles, released a three-minute video filmed near a Caracas air base in which he called on civilians and others in the armed forces to join a final push to topple Maduro.
“The moment is now,” Guaido said in the video showing him accompanied by previously-detained activist Leopoldo Lopez.
Maduro’s military commanders dismissed what it called a “coup attempt” in social media posts and said the Venezuelan army remained loyal to the president.
Live updates:
Street clashes erupt
Anti-government demonstrators clashed with troops loyal to Maduro at an air base in Caracas, the country’s capital, hours after Guaidó’s attempt to lead a military uprising.
Video showed unrest, including clashes.
NBC News tweeted a video it said showed an armored military vehicle ramming into pro-Guaidó protesters in the city.
Internet restrictions reported in Venezuela
Venezuela’s state run internet provider has been restricting access to YouTube and Google services following the opposition leader’s call for the military to revolt against Maduro, a group that monitors internet censorship said.
The non-governmental NetBlocks group said access to the services remains intermittently available since the restrictions don’t appear to be completely effective. It said Twitter, Facebook and several other services were briefly restricted earlier, although core internet connectivity remains unaffected.
The group said past incidents of network filtering in Venezuela have lasted from 12 minutes to over 20 hours.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Defense minister rejects attempt by “subversive movement”
The events appear not to have triggered a broader military revolt. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino on Twitter rejected what he called an attempt by a “subversive movement” to generate “panic and terror.”
The ruling socialist party chief, Diosdado Cabello, said most of Caracas was calm and called on government supporters to amass at the presidential palace to defend Maduro from what he said was a U.S.-backed coup attempt. About a dozen government supporters, some of them brandishing firearms, gathered at the presidential palace, answered the call.
“It’s time to defend the revolution with arms,” Valentin Santana, head of a militant group, said in a video posted on social media as he brandished an automatic rifle.
Meanwhile, Guaidó said he would release a list of top commanders supporting the uprising in the coming hours.
Putin discusses uprising with his top security body
Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the ongoing uprising in Venezuela with his top security body. Putin raised the current developments in Venezuela during his scheduled meeting with the Security Council, Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.
Peskov said that the meeting “paid significant attention to the news reports about a coup attempt in that country.” He did not elaborate further.
Pence: “We are with you!”
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence tweeted “We are with you!” Tuesday to the Venezuelans taking to the streets after Guaidó’s call for an uprising.
“America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored,” he added.
The U.S. and dozens of other countries have recognized Guaidó as Venezuela’s rightful leader, arguing that Maduro’s re-election was invalid.
The White House later said it is “watching and waiting” on the situation in Venezuela and hoping the result is democracy.
It was unclear how much advance knowledge the Trump administration had of Guaido’s plans for Tuesday, but President Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton was first to tweet his support.
“The United States stands with the people of Venezuela,” Bolton tweeted.
