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In the heart of Caracas on Monday night, drones buzzing near Venezuela’s presidential palace triggered a storm of gunfire and anti-aircraft measures just days after the ousting and capture of former dictator Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces.
According to a statement from Venezuela’s Ministry of Communication and Information, reported by CNN, the drones were operating “without permission.”
The ministry assured that “no confrontation occurred, and the entire country is completely calm,” yet they did not specify who might have been responsible for the drones.
A White House official, speaking to the outlet, confirmed that while they were monitoring the situation, “the US is not involved.”
Social media erupted with video footage capturing a scene of chaos outside the Miraflores palace. The clips showed security personnel rushing towards the palace as tracer bullets lit up the night sky.
“The first thing that came to mind was to see if there were planes flying ovehead but there were not,” a witness told AFP. “I just saw two red lights in the sky.”
“Everyone was looking out their windows to see if there was a plane, to see what was happening.”
CNN reports that different paramilitary groups guarding the palace could be heard talking about a “misunderstanding” that led to the barrage of bullets being fired.