Maduro lashes out with a purpose
Venezuelan intelligence agents conducted a dawn raid on the home of one of Juan Guaidó’s closest allies, Roberto Marrero, on 21 March. Marrero, the chief of staff of the country’s opposition figurehead and interim president, was taken into custody accused of fomenting an insurrection. The timing of Marrero’s arrest suggests that intimidation was not the primary motivation. The government led by Nicolás Maduro needed to distract attention from two devastating developments just hours earlier.