Maduro on capture of 'US spy', new security plan

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on Tuesday that he had made the decision to push forward against alleged destabilizing actions planned by the US Central Intelligence Agency in Venezuela during the coming months.

Maduro said that the government of US President Donald Trump appointed the DEA, the United States anti-narcotics police, "as the operating bureau to attack Venezuela."

He went on: "What is new today is not that DEA was totally involved with Colombian drug trafficking groups to attack Venezuela, what is new is that they have approved that the CIA engages in covert operations of a terrorist nature against Venezuela."

Maduro said that his government gathered evidence after capturing US citizen Matthew John Heath, accused of spying with the support of some Venezuelan military and civilians.

"They gave the green light to the CIA, to come with direct agents for terrorist covert operations against oil, electrical, military, electoral targets, and other dirty covert actions," Maduro said.