Conspiracy Theories Abound After Helicopter Buzzes Caracas

  • Police officer in chopper filmed video, had acted in film
  • No major reports of escalation from military, security forces

Volunteer medics cross a cloud of tear gas as opposition activists demonstrating against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro clash with riot police in Caracas on June 26, 2017.

Photographer: FEDERICO PARRA/AFP/Getty Images
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A police officer commandeers a heavily-armed helicopter, buzzes downtown Caracas, disappears; President Nicolas Maduro takes to the airwaves to denounce a “terrorist attack”; the opposition calls it a staged event by the president to justify a power grab.

Now, the day after, crisis-weary Venezuelans are trying to make sense of it all. Many, like Giofran Blanco, a 24-year-old administrative assistant, seem inclined to agree with the opposition’s version of events.