親政府襲擊者衝擊委內瑞拉全國代表大會

Armed supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro stormed the country's opposition-held legislature on Wednesday, attacking lawmakers and holding hundreds of people hostage inside the building for nine hours. At least 12 people were injured, including five legislators and workers at the National Assembly.

National Assembly President Julio Borges blamed Maduro for the situation in Venezuela, where months of political and economic crisis have brought street protests that often turn into violence between pro- and anti-government marchers. Nearly 100 people have been killed.

"The violence in Venezuela is named Nicolas Maduro," Borges told reporters.

The Maduro supporters, who call themselves "colectivos," burst into the legislative chamber at the beginning of the takeover. Shots were fired and detonations were heard, and ambulances took away about 15 injured people, some of them lawmakers with blood streaming down their faces and soaking their shirts.

The armed gangs left the Legislative Palace later, but kept the building surrounded. National Guardsmen patrolled the area but made no move to remove the gunmen or free those being detained inside.

The hostages, including VOA's Alvaro Algarra, could hear gunmen outside the National Assembly building chanting, "It's going to fall. ... This assembly is going to fall."

The National Assembly was meeting in a special session to honor Venezuela's Independence Day when the dozens of colectivos charged into the chamber.

The colectivos have in the past insisted the entire National Assembly must resign, but they announced no demands on Wednesday, Algarra reported. Assembly President Borges told VOA the lawmakers would not yield to any demands by the gunmen.

President Maduro, marching in a Venezuelan Independence Day parade, said he had nothing to do with what he called the "strange events" at the National Assembly.委內瑞拉總統馬杜羅的武裝支持者星期三衝擊委內瑞拉反對派控制的全國代表大會，襲擊全代會代表，將幾百名人質扣押在大樓里長達九小時，至少造成12人受傷，其中包括五名全代會代表和工作人員。

全代會主席博爾赫斯把委內瑞拉的局勢歸咎於總統馬杜羅。數月來的政治和經濟危機讓街頭抗議時有發生，而且經常會引發親政府和反政府兩派間的暴力衝突，已經有近100人喪生。

博爾赫斯告訴記者說：“委內瑞拉暴力的名字就叫尼古拉斯·馬杜羅。”
早些時候，馬杜羅總統的支持者衝擊全代會議事廳，佔領了那裏。人們聽到槍響和爆炸聲，還看到救護車拉走大約15名傷員，其中一些是全代會代表，他們臉上流着血，浸溼了襯衣。

武裝人員後來撤出了全代會大樓，但是把大樓包圍起來。委內瑞拉國民警衛隊在附近巡邏，但是沒有采取行動，驅散槍手，解救大樓裏的人質。

包括美國之音記者阿爾加拉在內的人質可以聽到槍手在大樓外高喊：“全代會一定會跨臺。”

馬杜羅的幾十名武裝支持者衝擊全代會大樓時，代表們正在召開特別會議，紀念委內瑞拉獨立日。

馬杜羅的支持者曾堅決要求全代會代表全體辭職，但阿爾加拉說，他們星期三沒有提出要求。全代會主席博爾赫斯告訴美國之音說，全代會代表不會接受槍手的任何要求。

參加委內瑞拉獨立日遊行的馬杜羅總統說，他跟全代會大樓發生的“離奇事件”沒有任何關係。