Neighbors rally behind retired Venezuelan general in armed standoff with security forces

Neighbors rally behind retired Venezuelan general in armed standoff with
security forces
Published February 23, 2014
Associated Press

Retired Venezuelan Army Gen. Angel Vivas, top right, stands armed inside
his residence as military intelligence officers stand outside his home
in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014. President Nicolas Maduro
ordered on Saturday the arrest and investigation of the retired general
for his statements on YouTube and Twitter. Maduro said Vivas is
instigating violence at a time when two weeks of anti-government
protests have left 10 dead and over 100 wounded. Vivas has been an
opponent of the Venezuelan government since his 2007 resignation as
director of the Ministry of Defense Engineering, due to the military's
adoption of the slogan "Fatherland, socialism or death, we shall
overcome," created in Cuba. (AP Photo/Juan Manuel Hernandez) (THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS)

EDS. NOTE OBSCENE GESTURE - Neighbors of retired Army Gen. Angel Vivas
force security agents to leave the neighborhood after they failed to
arrest him at his home in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014.
President Nicolas Maduro ordered on Saturday the arrest and
investigation of the retired general for his statements on YouTube and
Twitter. Maduro said Vivas is instigating violence at a time when two
weeks of anti-government protests have left 10 dead and over 100
wounded. Vivas has been an opponent of the Venezuelan government since
his 2007 resignation as director of the Ministry of Defense Engineering,
due to the military's adoption of the slogan "Fatherland, socialism or
death, we shall overcome," created in Cuba. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
(THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Neighbors of retired Army Gen. Angel Vivas gather outside his home to
try to stop security agents from arresting him in Caracas, Venezuela,
Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014. President Nicolas Maduro ordered on Saturday the
arrest and investigation of the retired general for his statements on
YouTube and Twitter. Maduro said Vivas is instigating violence at a time
when two weeks of anti-government protests have left 10 dead and over
100 wounded. Vivas has been an opponent of the Venezuelan government
since his 2007 resignation as director of the Ministry of Defense
Engineering, due to the military's adoption of the slogan "Fatherland,
socialism or death, we shall overcome," created in Cuba. (AP Photo/Juan
Manuel Hernandez) (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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CARACAS, VENEZUELA – One of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's most
outspoken critics has become the latest rally cry for opposition
protesters after engaging in an armed standoff with security forces.

Retired army Gen. Angel Vivas sported a flak jacket, assault rifle and
handgun Sunday as he defiantly addressed dozens of neighbors from the
balcony of his home in eastern Caracas.

Supporters rushed to his defense after he announced to his 100,000-plus
followers on Twitter that a group of "Cuban and Venezuelan henchmen" had
come looking for him. The crowd forced the officers to move away.

Maduro has ordered Vivas' arrest for allegedly encouraging students to
stretch wire across streets where they've set up barricades in recent
weeks. The president blames the apparent booby trap for the death of a
government supporter.

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