Why Leopoldo López turned himself in

When I first heard that the Prettyboy Putschist of Venezuela had turned himself in to the federales, I thought it smelled a bit…fishy. Venezuelan fascists are well known for their elusiveness, their stubborn unwillingness to face reality or recognize legitimate authority — and, in the case of one ex-general in their ranks, a certain penchant for staging dramatic standoffs. I wondered why Leo had had such an unexpected change of heart, and why he would meekly allow himself to be carted off to jail. Now it turns out that he had a rather compelling reason for doing so:

Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López handed himself over to police upon learning of a plot against him, says a Russian analyst.

According to Nil Nikandrov, writing for the Foundation for Strategic Culture, the head of the Voluntad Popular party decided to “change his plans” and turn himself in to the forces of public order after the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) made public a telephone conversation between two representatives of an ultra-right-wing organization in Miami who discussed plans for the “physical elimination” of Leopoldo López, with the intent of blaming the death on the Maduro government in order to create a political crisis and drag the country into a civil war.

Nikandrov says that the external conspirators sent several groups of terrorists to Venezuela, and that they also have accomplices in López’s entourage.

Agents of the CIA in Caracas knew of the terrorists’ intentions, but took no measures to guarantee his security. Nikandrov emphasizes that the opposition leader “was condemned to a cold-blooded assassination in the interests of the United States.”

“The conspirators hoped that this ‘martyr’ would unleash processes of destabilization in the land,” says the analyst, and adds that the assassination would also have strengthened the position of another opposition leader, Henrique Capriles, López’s old rival.

In spite of the tensions in Venezuela and the multiple problems López created for the government, the president of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, personally contacted the opposition leader’s family and informed them of the threats against him.

López’s wife, Lilian Tintori, confirmed to US media that the veracity of the recording was never in question, since they knew the people who were planning the murder, according to Nikandrov.

Translation mine.

Recall that I blogged a few days ago about how Leo was treated well when he handed himself over, and that Diosdado Cabello was on hand personally to make sure that he was all right. Recall, too, that Leo’s wife confirmed that the authorities treated her husband well, and that there had been “death threats” against him. She didn’t specify where they were coming from, but now we know. And now we also know why Diosdado Cabello took the trouble to personally ensure Leo’s safety. This was no ordinary arrest; this was protective custody, as well. Leopoldo López feels safer in the hands of the federal police (and the “tyrannical” Bolivarian government!) than he does among his own compinches.

It sure speaks volumes about the respectability of the Venezuelan government, does it not? And conversely, about the kind of people who run with the Venezuelan opposition and the CIA.

I have said, repeatedly, that the Venezuelan oppos have no qualms about killing their own, and nowhere is that more clear than in the fact that they would not hesitate to “martyr” no less a figure than one of their own so-called leaders. And that the CIA would happily sit back and let it happen, knowing that Venezuela would devolve into political chaos…exactly according to plan.

What a pity their plans were foiled, and that Leo’s instinct for self-preservation was what spoiled it for them.