On the night of this Monday (5th), gunshots were heard near the Miraflores Palace, the seat of the Presidency of Venezuela, in Caracas. On social networks, citizens shared videos of the moment the shots were fired.
Sources consulted by the newspaper O Globo explained that the incident was caused by a miscommunication between security forces. Drones from a government agency were overflying the surroundings and ended up being erroneously identified by security forces at the Miraflores Palace as a threat.
Sources stated that the drones belong to the Scientific, Criminological and Forensic Investigations Body (CICPC) and that Miraflores security reacted immediately to the objects.
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The cause of the drone flight remains unknown, and there are reports that at least two people were injured as a result of the shooting. AFP also spoke to witnesses who confirmed hearing the shots, but said they lasted only a short time.
“It seemed that explosions were taking place, and they occurred very frequently,” said a resident of the region to AFP. “The first thing that came to my mind was to check whether planes were flying overhead, but there weren’t. I only saw two red lights in the sky. It lasted about a minute.”
URGENT TO BROADCAST 🚨 | VENEZUELA
Drones overflying and gunfire near the Miraflores Palace and the center of Caracas. A blackout was reported at this moment.
Venezuela resists: Civilian population and Armed Forces repel the attack and neutralize the drones.
This is not… pic.twitter.com/68lq5t4AFO
— Arlin Medrano (@arlinmedrano_) January 6, 2026
The incident takes place amid a context of high tension in Venezuela, a few hours after Delcy Rodríguez took office as interim president of the country. The incident also occurred just two days after the United States attacked the country and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
The two are now in New York, awaiting trial on narcoterrorism charges. Maduro appeared in a hearing this Monday and declared himself innocent.
