Loud gunshots were reported outside the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, Venezuela on January 5, just days after President Nicolas Maduro was arrested in a US special forces raid.
Videos posted on social networks show armed soldiers and armored vehicles outside government buildings.
There were also reports of explosions and the activation of anti-aircraft guns. AFP sources added that security forces fired to respond to unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles on Miraflores.
Videos verified by CNN record images of anti-aircraft fire launching in Caracas airspace. In another video, gunshots can be clearly heard amidst information showing chaos and confusion between security units operating in the capital.
A Caracas resident said they heard gunshots near Urdaneta Avenue, an area adjacent to the Miraflores Presidential Palace.
Regarding this information, a White House official said that the US administration is closely monitoring reports of gunfire in Venezuela, but affirmed that "the US is not involved" in the shootings.
Exchanges between pro-government Venezuelan paramilitary groups show that the cause of the gunfire is likely to stem from confusion and lack of coordination between different security forces operating around the Miraflores Presidential Palace.
In a recording, a member of the collective group - pro-government paramilitary forces - called for reinforcements and support, saying that "clashes" occurred in the Presidential Palace area and "many shots were fired". Immediately after that, another member said that this was a "misunderstanding", leading to the shooting in the chaos, while affirming that the situation had returned to calmness.
Later, the person believed to be an initial member of the group said that a drone appeared in the area and was shot down by Miraflores police and Presidential Security, but emphasized that the situation is now "controlled".
The Venezuelan army was mobilized after US special forces arrested President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on January 3 and took them to New York, where both were prosecuted for drug trafficking.
Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, a close ally of Mr. Maduro, has been appointed interim president. She condemned the US campaign as a "imperial attack".
In a hearing at a US court on January 5, Maduro denied all charges, describing himself as a "war prisoner of war".
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil accused the US of launching "a colonial war" to exploit Venezuela's natural resources. He added: "Today is Venezuela. Tomorrow, it could be any other country.
