CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) 鈥� A half dozen masked assailants ransacked the headquarters of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in the latest escalation of violence against opponents of Nicol谩s Maduro following the country鈥檚 disputed presidential election.
The raid occurred at around 3 a.m., Machado鈥檚 party said, adding that the assailants broke down doors and hauled away valuable documents and equipment. Images published by Machado鈥檚 party on social media show several walls covered in black spray paint.
The arrest comes as top officials, including Maduro himself, have threatened to arrest the opposition leader, who has gone into hiding as she seeks to rally Venezuelans to challenge last Sunday鈥檚 election results.
The Biden administration has thrown its support firmly behind the opposition, recognizing last minute candidate Edmundo 骋辞苍锄谩濒别锄 as the victor, discrediting the vote proclaiming Maduro the winner.
The U.S. announcement late Thursday followed calls from multiple governments, including close allies of Maduro, for Venezuela's electoral authorities to release precinct-level vote counts, as it has done during previous elections.
The electoral body declared Maduro the winner Monday, but the main opposition coalition revealed hours later that it had collected copies of 80% of the country's and that they show 骋辞苍锄谩濒别锄 prevailed by a more than 2-to-1 margin.
鈥淕iven the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo 骋辞苍锄谩濒别锄 Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela鈥檚 July 28 presidential election,鈥� U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
Maduro responded with a quick admonishment: "The United States needs to keep its nose out of Venezuela!鈥�
The U.S. government announcement came amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts by Brazil, Colombia and Mexico to convince their fellow leftist to allow an impartial audit of the vote. On Thursday, the governments of the three countries issued a joint statement calling on Venezuela's electoral authorities 鈥渢o move forward expeditiously and publicly release鈥� detailed voting data.
But it's unclear what leverage the countries have over Maduro, who has shown little inkling to rethink his entrenched position.
While no ally or anyone in the crucial armed forces has yet to break with Maduro over the contested elections, he faces huge obstacles righting Venezuela's economy without the legitimacy that can only come from a credible election result.
Venezuela sits atop and once boasted Latin America鈥檚 most advanced economy, but it entered into free fall marked by 130,000% hyperinflation and widespread shortages after Maduro took the helm in 2013. More than 7.7 million since 2014, in Latin America鈥檚 recent history.
U.S. oil sanctions have only deepened the misery and the Biden administration 鈥� which had been easing those restrictions 鈥� is now likely to ramp them up again unless Maduro backs down and agrees to .
鈥淗e鈥檚 counting on being able to wait this out and people will get tired of demonstrating,鈥� said Cynthia Arnson, a distinguished fellow at the Wilson Center, a Washington think tank. 鈥淭he problem is the country is in a death spiral and there鈥檚 no chance the economy will be able to recover without the legitimacy that comes from a fair election.鈥�
On Monday, after the National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner of the election, thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets. The government said it arrested hundreds of protesters and Venezuela-based human rights organization Foro Penal said 11 people were killed. Dozens more were arrested the following day, including a former opposition candidate, Freddy Superlano.
鈥� who was barred from running for president 鈥� and addressed a huge rally of their supporters in the capital, Caracas, on Tuesday, but they have not been seen in public since. Later that day, the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, called for their arrest, describing them as criminals and fascists.
On Wednesday, Maduro asked Venezuela鈥檚 highest court of the election, but that request drew almost immediate criticism from who said the court, which like most institutions is controlled by the government, lacks the independence to perform a credible review.
Asked why electoral authorities have not released detailed vote counts, Maduro said the National Electoral Council has come under attack, including cyberattacks, without elaborating.
In an op-ed published Thursday in the Wall Street Journal, Machado said she is 鈥渉iding, fearing for my life, my freedom, and that of my fellow countrymen.鈥� She reasserted that the opposition has physical evidence that Maduro lost the election and urged the international community to intervene.
鈥淲e have voted Mr. Maduro out,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淣ow it is up to the international community to decide whether to tolerate a demonstrably illegitimate government.鈥�
Machado later posted a video on social media calling on supporters to gather Saturday across the country.
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Goodman reported from Medellin, Colombia. S谩 Pessoa reported from Sao Paulo. Associated Press correspondent Mar铆a Verza in Mexico City contributed.
Regina Garcia Cano, Joshua Goodman, Gabriela S谩 Pessoa And E. Eduardo Castillo, The Associated Press
