The head of security for Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has been detained, according to members of their party.
Milciades Ávila, the security chief, was taken from his residence in Caracas by Venezuelan security forces, reported the Vente Venezuela opposition party.
He is the latest opposition activist to be detained ahead of the presidential election on July 28, where the opposition aims to unseat incumbent Nicolás Maduro.
Neither the government nor the security forces have commented on the reasons for Ávila’s detention or his current whereabouts.
Machado stated on X that Ávila had been accused of gender violence, linking his arrest to a Saturday incident where women allegedly tried to attack her and opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González.
Machado claims the incident was a “deliberate provocation” witnessed by many, suggesting it was intended to leave her “without protection” shortly before the election.
The opposition has long complained of harassment by authorities. Machado, who won an opposition primary in October but is barred from running due to alleged fraud, has denied the charges. After losing her appeal, she supports González and has been campaigning for him nationwide, urging voters to unite against Maduro.
Numerous members of her campaign team have been arrested, some accused of anti-government conspiracies.