Venezuela's supreme court slams attack against gov't institutions

The president of Venezuela's Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), Maikel Moreno, on Wednesday condemned an attack against the court's headquarters in Caracas, calling it terrorism.

The attack on Tuesday saw a grenade launched against the building from a police helicopter. The grenade did not explode and there were no casualties.

In a statement, Moreno said the attack, allegedly carried out by a police officer identified as Oscar Perez, "endangered the lives of workers" at the TSJ, as well as bystanders.

"It cannot be called anything other than terrorism," added Moreno, following an inspection of the site, located about a kilometer from the presidential headquarters.

In Venezuela's ongoing power struggle, the conservative opposition has often criticized the judicial branch for upholding decisions by the ruling socialist party.

"These types of actions will not intimidate Venezuela's judges, but will strengthen their actions within the framework of the Constitution," said Moreno.

The attackers reportedly hijacked the helicopter belonging to the police department's criminal investigative unit to attack the TSJ and the Ministry of the Interior.

President Nicolas Maduro affirmed that nothing will disrupt upcoming polls in July to elect the members of a National Constituent Assembly to rewrite the Constitution.

The coalition of right-wing parties, known by its Spanish acronym MUD, is against the constitutional initiative and has stepped up anti-government protests to demand presidential elections be moved up.

The increasingly violent demonstrations have claimed the lives of at least 76 people so far, according to official figures.
 [Xinhua/China]
29/6/17