BOGOTA – A group of unidentified men saying they are friends of the Venezuelan military appears in a video saying they are preparing an advance into Venezuela to help unseat embattled President Nicolas Maduro and restore democracy.
The video was released in Colombia hours after Venezuela's socialist government announced it had arrested 27 National Guard soldiers for allegedly launching an uprising against Maduro.
The video was played late Monday on NTN-TV in Colombia's capital and shows roughly two dozen men wearing combat fatigues, but unarmed. The Associated Press could not independently verify where the soldiers were located or their identities.
A leader of the group says they are responding to Juan Guaido, the new head of Venezuelan's opposition-controlled congress who has been urging Venezuelans and theirs armed forces to remove Maduro from power.
Guaido is calling for nationwide demonstrations to be held Wednesday - which is when the soldiers say they will be taking action.