Venezuelan intelligence officers Thursday arrested the chief of staff of Juan Guaido, the opposition leader recognised by the US and other countries as interim leader, Guaido and the opposition-ruled congress said on Twitter.
Roberto Marrero was grabbed by SEBIN officers when they staged a pre-dawn raid on his Caracas home, according to Guaido and a recorded voice message by Marrero published on social media.
The United States has repeatedly warned Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government against arresting Guaido or his aides, and Washington's Secretary of State Mike Pompeo quickly called for Marrero's release.
"They have grabbed Roberto Marrero, my chief of staff. He yelled out that they planted two rifles and a grenade," Guaido tweeted.
"The raid happened at around 2:00 am (0600 GMT). We don't know his whereabouts. He must be released immediately."
So far, however, the power struggle in Venezuela has become bogged down in an impasse, with Maduro railing daily about the US "imperialists" trying to dislodge him and Guaido touring the country to rally supporters and pledge he'll be taking over "very soon."
Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton in January tweeted: "Any violence and intimidation against US diplomatic personnel, Venezuela's democratic leader, Juan Guaido, or the National Assembly itself would represent a grave assault on the rule of law and will be met with a significant response."
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content