A Venezuelan opposition politician, Gilber Caro, was arrested [press release] Wednesday with authorities alleging that weapons, including explosives, were found in his vehicle. Caro is a lawmaker in Miranda. Popular Will [party website], the political party to which Caro belongs [WSJ report], released a statement [text] alleging that Caro has been kidnapped by the national authorities. The government claims that Caro was attempting to foment violence.

Venezuela has been in the throes of political unrest since the December 2015 election. Last November the National Assembly postponed a symbolic trial of in an effort to ease political tension in the nation [JURIST report]. In October the National Assembly voted to open criminal impeachment proceedings [JURIST report] against Maduro, alleging that he manipulated the constitution to remain in power. That same month the Assembly also declared [JURIST report] that there is a breakdown of constitutional order and that the government had staged a coup by blocking an attempt to remove Maduro from power. In June government officials asked the Supreme Court to deny a referendum [JURIST report] to remove Maduro proposed by opposition leaders. In April Venezuela’s opposition-led parliament approved [JURIST report] new referendum rules. In March the Supreme Tribunal of Justice ruled that the Venezuelan national assembly may not review the appointment of 13 justices [JURIST report] to the high court by the Socialist Party.