Venezuela: Insurgents With Ties To Oscar Perez Arrested, Others Killed In Armed Clashes

Venezuelan authorities arrested five individuals linked to Oscar Perez's armed insurgent group and killed several other militants in an area outside of Caracas on Jan. 15, Reuters reported. Perez, a former police pilot and action film star, became the subject of a government manhunt after stealing a helicopter and throwing grenades at federal government buildings in Caracas in protest against the government in June 2017 and stealing weapons from a National Guard unit in December. Perez's status remains unknown; Venezuelan state television reported that two police officers had been shot, but did not provide information about Perez, and the Venezuelan Information Ministry did not respond when asked for comment.