Venezuela's top opposition leader claims Maduro cronies cut her van's brakes ahead of the elections

Venezuela's top opposition leader, María Corina Machado, claimed that government agents attacked the motorcade in which she was campaigning. In a publication on X, she said that several cars were attacked and hers had the brakes cut.

"And before, regime agents followed us and surrounded the area in which we slept. Maduro's campaign is one of violence and they are to be held responsible for any damage to our physical integrity. They won't stop us," Machado added.

In a video accompanying the post she also showed what the cars look like after the episode: "It's July 18. We are 10 days away from July 28 (the date of the presidential elections). I am in the city of Barquisimeto, where we slept after traveling from Caracas. This is what the cars look like despite having private vigilance."

"This is the oil can they used to damage our vehicles. But the most serious issues happened with these two vans: this one had the brakes cut. This is clearly an attack on those of us who use these vehicles. This is happening ten days away from the presidential elections and a few hours after our security chief, Milciades Ávila, as kidnapped."

Perkins Rocha, legal advisor to Machado's party, linked Ávila's detention to an incident on Saturday, July 13, in the state of Aragua. During the incident, several women attempted to attack Machado, but her security team, including Ávila, prevented the assault.

Rocha explained that Ávila's "alleged crime" was protecting Machado and presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia from being attacked by a state deputy and a municipal employee. Machado won a broad opposition primary last year and was set to be the presidential candidate in the elections but was prevented from doing so by the government-friendly electoral body. Since then, she has been campaigning on behalf of González Urrutia.

This is the latest of several episodes showing an escalation on the government's actions toward the opposition. On Wednesday, President Nicolás Maduro warned society risks a "fratricidal civil war" and a "bloodbath" if his party doesn't win.

"If you don't want Venezuela to fall into a bloodbath, into a fratricidal civil war because of fascists, we need to guarantee the largest electoral victory in the history of our people," Maduro said during a speech in Caracas.

It follows similar statements over the past days. Last Thursday he also said the elections will decide whether there is "war or peace, violent protests or calm, a long-term project for our country or being a colony." "Are you ready? I am, I have love for Venezuela, I have experience, I don't even fear the devil. God is with me, he is with us," he said back then.

Maduro has also ramped up political repression, arresting dozens of opposition members over the past days. Foro Penal, a local human rights NGO, has reported 102 arrests since the start of the election campaign on July 4.