Demonstrators led by opposition leader Juan Guaido are calling for besieged socialist tyrant to be thrown from office
UNDER-fire Nicolas Maduro and a “dirty dozen” of his top lieutenants are today holed-up in a luxurious palace complex as Venezuela careers towards a bloody civil war.
Ahead of a huge protest march against his hated regime, the tyrant has taken refuge in Fort Tiuna surrounded by thousands of CUBAN troops as he no longer trusts his own army with his life.
The news comes as it emerged the US is prepared to take military action to stem the ongoing turmoil in Venezuela.
“Military action is possible. If that’s what’s required, that’s what the United States will do,” said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo adding a peaceful transition of power is preferred.
Maduro went into hiding after violence - which saw defecting soldiers hold pitched battles with Maduro's military - was sparked by opposition leader Juan Guaido's calls to oust him.
Amid the mounting mayhem, armoured cars were filmed driving at full speed into the crowds of people.
Horrifying video showed demonstrators lying on the ground with their heads and legs bloodied after being mowed down by troops fighting under the orders of Maduro.
The chaos was far removed from the tranquillity of the leader's luxury enclave in Caracas with its bowling alley, swimming pools, lakes and restaurants.
Maduro and his henchmen are living in fabulous estates which would not look out of place in the hills of Hollywood.
In one area of the complex, next to a military parade ground, a giant iron gate leads into an officers’ club with a bowling alley, floodlit baseball stadium and enormous two-level swimming pool.
One visitor to one of the hillside mansions in Fort Tiuna described passing seven checkpoints, the last of which was manned by Cubans in red shirts who supervise Maduro’s security.
Confirmation of Maduro's five star bolthole was revealed by Donald Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton.
The bloody upheaval in Venezuela saw:
he said: "Basically, where they are is a place called Fort Tiuna, which is the Cuban headquarters in Venezuela.
"Why were they there? Because I think they couldn’t trust most of the Venezuelan forces to actually protect them.
"The Cubans, they could count on. That tells you what the real political situation in Venezuela is for the regime."
It's estimated there are up to 25,000 Cuban troops now based in Venzuela tasked with keeping the Maduro alive and his regime in power.
It's been reported Venezuelan troops are ready to turn on paranoid Maduro after he cut their monthly pay to just $4 and infiltrated their ranks with spies.
Earlier it was claimed the panicking president was actually ready to flee to Cuba amid yesterday's uprising - and more violent demonstrations are planned today.
Pompeo said the besieged tyrant was talked out of boarding a waiting jet at the last minute as an insurrection swept the capital Caracas.
Speaking to , Pompeo claimed Maduro was prepared to leave the country on Tuesday as key military and political figures began turning on him in the face of the popular revolt - dubbed Operation Freedom.
But Maduro - deemed an illegitimate leader by opponents and many western countries - was talked out of fleeing by Russian backers in the Kremlin, he claimed.
Mr Pompeo said: "They had an airplane on the tarmac. He was ready to leave this morning, as we understand it.
"Russians indicated he should stay. He was headed for Havana."
The violence - which saw thousands including defecting soldiers take to the streets and mount pitch battles against the loyal military - was sparked after calls by opposition leader Juan Guaido.
Amid the mayhem, armoured cars were filmed driving at full speed into the crowd.
Horrifying video showed demonstrators lying on the ground with their heads and legs bloodied after being mowed down by troops loyal to - and fighting under the orders of - the president.
The injured protesters were rushed away on a motorbike as the armoured trucks sped away dodging fireballs thrown by the demonstrators.
On Tuesday morning, Guaido told his anti-government supporters to mount a rebellion to overthrow Maduro - who was swept back into power in January following controversial elections deemed illegitimate by many countries.
Guaido was joined by Venezuela's most-prominent opposition activist Leopoldo Lopez in a three-minute video to announce the coup yesterday morning.
Lopez was apparently released from house arrest by soldiers who defected to the growing anti-government cause and were now answering to Guaido.
In the video, Lopez declared: "I want to tell the Venezuelan people: This is the moment to take to the streets and accompany these patriotic soldiers."
And Guaido said of his defecting military supporters: "The armed forces have taken the right decision.
"With the support of the Venezuelan people and the backing of our constitution they are on the right side of history."
The calls kicked off a day of bloody clashes as thousands took to the streets just blocks away from president Maduro's presidential palace.
The violent street battles that erupted in parts of Caracas were the most serious challenge yet to Maduro's rule.
While the rebellion seemed to have garnered only limited military support Guaido sought to keep the momentum going at the end of the day by calling for people to take to the streets again today.
Yesterday, Guaido and Lopez coordinated actions in the capital from a highway overpass - while troops loyal to Maduro fired tear gas from inside the adjacent air base.
A crowd that quickly swelled to a few thousand scurried for cover, reappearing later with Guaido at a plaza a few blocks from the skirmishes.
A smaller group of masked youths stayed behind on the highway, lobbing rocks and Molotov cocktails toward the air base and setting a government bus on fire.
The head of a medical centre near the site of the street battles said doctors were treating 50 people, about half of them with injuries suffered from rubber bullets.
Venezuelan human rights group Provea said a 24-year-old man was shot and killed during an anti-government protest in the city of La Victoria.
As Maduro's forces repelled the action, Lopez and his family sought refuge in the Chilean ambassador's residence in Caracas before moving to the Spanish embassy.
Maduro tried to project an image of strength, saying he had spoken to several regional military commanders who reaffirmed their loyalty.
He wrote on Twitter: "Nerves of steel!"
But the head of Venezuela's secret police penned a letter breaking ranks with the embattled leader.
Manuel Ricardo Cristopher Figuera, the head of Venezuela's feared SEBIN intelligence agency, said it was now time to "rebuilt the country".
He added: "The hour has arrived for us to look for other ways of doing politics.
"To build the homeland our children and grandchildren deserve."
Governments from around the world expressed support for Guaido while repeating calls to avoid violence.
US National Security Adviser John Bolton said the Trump administration had received assurances from three key Maduro officials that the president would be removed peacefully.
Mr Bolton declined to discuss possible military actions - but said that "all options" are on the table as President Trump monitors developments "minute by minute."
President Trump had tweeted: "I am monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely.
"The United States stands with the People of Venezuela and their Freedom!"
The uprising has been fuelled by popular resentment at political corruption in the country still wracked with poverty despite it having the world's largest oil reserves.
When oil prices crashed in 2014, the Venezuelan government had not used the prosperous years to build up reserves to fall back on.
Large areas of the collapsing country have been left in the dark for days at a time by power outages.
More than three million Venezuelans have fled in recent years.
Maduro has strongly resisted calls for an early vote or that he leave power early before his six-year second term ends in 2025, sparking huge anti-government demonstrations.
Venezuela's socialist party boss, Diosdado Cabello, called on government supporters to amass at the presidential palace to defend Maduro from what he called a small uprising of traitorous military soldiers backed by the US.
He desperately tried to downplay the significance of the rebellion, saying Caracas is calm and that the air base near where the rebellious soldiers are gathered had not been touched.
Cabello said the opposition had not been able to take over the air base, which he said remained "absolutely under the operational control" of the government.
Meanwhile supporters of UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn — a vocal admirer of the embattled socialist regime — dubbed the uprising a "Pincohet-style coup".
Corbynista MP Chris Williamson said: "It appears that the USA is ramping up its efforts to overthrow the legitimate and democratically elected President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, in a military coup."
"I stand in full solidarity with the people of Venezuela against this attack on their democracy and sovereignty."
WHILE most military leaders openly back Maduro, the lower ranks are ill-equipped and are constantly monitored by the intelligence services.
Salaries have hugely decreased over the years and more than 4,000 low-ranking officers have deserted during the last 12 months.
"The middle ranks are earning around $3 to $4 a month, and that is impacting their own structure," said one expert on Venezuela's armed forces.
The military has also struggled to maintain its equipment as it suffers from a shortage of spare parts.
According to some analysts, intelligence agents are also embedded among the military forces to guard against anti-regime activity.
Those troops who support the opposition have been accused of betrayal and have been arrested, according to Human Rights Watch.
Authorities have also arrested the family members of some suspects in an effort to determine their whereabouts, the rights group said.
Guaido, the leader of Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly, in January invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency.
He argued that Maduro's re-election in 2018 was illegitimate.
Around 50 countries including the United States have recognised Guaido as Venezuela's interim president.
Maduro calls Guaido a US-backed puppet who seeks to oust him in a coup.
The government has arrested his top aide, stripped Guaido of his parliamentary immunity and barred him from leaving the country
Last week, Guaido said his congressional ally - opposition lawmaker Gilber Caro - had been detained, and that 11 members of his team had been summoned to appear before the Sebin intelligence agency.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
