venezuela's interim president juan guido
is calling for a military uprising and
video he posted to social media from an
airbase in Caracas he says members of
the military have joined him he is
calling for others to do the same it's
part of what he is calling operation
freedom and it comes that he can't as he
continues to try and take down the
Nicolas Maduro regime Guido's saying the
end of the Maduro regime begins today
Venezuela Socialist Party Leader
Diosdado Cabello has called on
government supporters to gather at the
presidential palace to defend Maduro
from what he is calling a small uprising
of military traitors backed by the
United States this was the scene earlier
teargas was being fired at a highway
overpass next to LA Carlos out air base
where soldiers supporting guató have
been standing guard Leopoldo Lopez a key
opposition figure also present during
Guido's message early this morning Lopez
has been under house arrest for leading
an anti-government push in 2014 this
morning he did say on Twitter that he
had been freed by military personnel
Senator Marco Rubio replying on Twitter
posting this quote this is the moment
for those military officers in Venezuela
to fulfill their constitutional oath and
defend the legitimate interim president
Juan Guido in this effort to restore
democracy you can write history in the
hours and days ahead
they also said after years of suffering
freedom is waiting for people of
Venezuela do not let them take this
opportunity from you now is the moment
to take to the streets in support of
your legitimate constitutional
government do not allow this moment to
slip away it may not come again we have
our own Kodi Weddell he is watching this
this morning he is in Bogota Colombia
Cody I know you're on the phone with us
tell us exactly what is happening there
and how much of an escalation this is in
who I doz attempt to gain power well
this is a huge escalation and clearly
long lie though it's putting all of his
cards on the table this morning because
it's hard to see how if he is not
successful with this how he will remain
free and with his movement to take down
my Buddha what we know at this point
that there is at least a small group of
military members at a main Air Force
Base in the center of Caracas
who have declared themselves an open
rebellion there is there are both videos
and photo
on social media of people there on the
scene showing these folks wearing a blue
armbands to show that they are
supporting as they are supporting wrong
why though they also have their military
uniforms on there is also state media
reporting from inside that like I looked
at Air Force Base at this point so it
appears that at least part of that base
is still in hands of Maduro but very
significant that we are seeing Leopoldo
Lopez on the street for the first time
since we saw him back in 2016 I believe
at his home he has been under house
arrest so clearly those military members
allowing him to leave his home this
morning and john wong why though on the
highway so this is a significant
development these will be decisive
moments for Venezuela in that the hours
and days ahead
Cody he must be buoyed by this new
leadership and military movement on his
side because he's offered the military
to come to his side and support him
before and offered them immunity to
leave the Maduro regime so this is
definitely a change we've seen even
though Guido's been trying to take over
power for quite some time absolutely
will one guy though like you said he has
offered amnesty to military members and
security force forces members who turn
on Nicolas Maduro for now we've only
seen roughly a thousand military members
crossed the border into Colombia and
defect against Maduro there are roughly
3,000 military generals in Venezuela for
now they have not turned on Maduro and I
think that's because they live very
comfortable lives their property they
are supported by Nicolas Maduro and and
the money he can provide them and they
lives very comfortable lives so I think
they will be making the decision today
or in the next few days about who to
support because if if we see other
military bases start turning I think
then that will mean that Nicolas Maduro
is on his way out here
but if they're able to put this down as
they have in the past
it will probably mean we'll see Wang why
though arrested and it could mean the
end of his movement so like I said he's
putting all his cards on the table here
so these next few hours will be decisive
we'll see if we see other military bases
turning against mother ooh but it does
appear at least at this point that let
rock got a look at that airbase in the
middle of Caracas at least part of it is
still in the hands of Nicolas Maduro and
his forces although outside of it there
are supporters of Wang Bai though in the
military who are who are with him and
supporting him we know they're firing
teargas there at that airbase to
disperse the protesters who have
converged on that area to support will
and why though
so we'll see I think what we'll be
seeing that in the next few hours the
Maduro regime calling this a coup
clearly very tense moments happening
right now in Caracas our own Cody well
Weddell working his sources in Venezuela
he is in Bogota this morning for us
Cody we'll check in with you throughout
the day as his major story develops