Venezuela seizes massive cache of explosives, thwarts plot

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
10 Aug 2025 06:13
1 Shares

Venezuelan authorities seize 54,000 explosive charges in Maturín, accusing extremist factions linked to María Corina Machado of plotting terrorist attacks to destabilize the country.

Listen

Minister of the Interior, Justice, and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, stands next to charges discovered by authorities in Maturin, Monagas, Venezuela, on August 9, 2025. (cicpcguanare/Instagram)

Venezuelan authorities have seized a massive stockpile of explosive material in the eastern city of Maturin, Monagas state, in what officials describe as a foiled attempt by far-right sectors to carry out terrorist attacks aimed at destabilizing the country and undermining President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

The country’s Minister of the Interior, Justice, and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, announced Saturday that security forces, following extensive intelligence operations, discovered 54,000 explosive charges hidden in two warehouses. The haul included 1,137 boxes of hollow charges, 35 rolls of detonating cord, 125 electric detonators, prong-charge systems, cell phones, non-electric detonators, various fuels, and a 60-meter container possibly containing high-grade explosives such as C4.

Cabello confirmed that eight individuals have been arrested so far, all with alleged ties to extremist opposition factions led by fugitive politician Maria Corina Machado. Authorities are also searching for 10 to 12 other suspects identified by security agencies.

“Those responsible have direct ties to Machado’s extremism and imperialism, seeking to harm Venezuela,” Cabello warned on national television.

“The amount and type of material seized could have caused catastrophic harm to our people,” the minister stressed.

Links to previous terror plot

This latest seizure comes just days after Venezuelan authorities foiled a bomb attack in Caracas, where explosives were found inside a shopping center. That operation resulted in at least 15 arrests and the dismantling of a terrorist network working in secrecy to destabilize the country.

The government has repeatedly accused extremist factions of the opposition of plotting violent acts in coordination with foreign powers. Machado, who has been in hiding since the July 2024 presidential election, is accused of orchestrating subversive operations against the state.