Venezuelan captain's death sparks call for probe

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Venezuela's opposition has denounced the death of a navy captain held over an alleged plot to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro and called for an investigation.

Rafael Acosta, 49, was among six policemen and soldiers arrested on Wednesday.

They were detained weeks after a failed military uprising against Mr Maduro.

Facing charges of treason and sedition, Mr Acosta appeared in court on Friday, but fainted before proceedings began.


He was rushed to a military hospital in the capital, Caracas, but died in the early hours of Saturday morning, Venezuela's defence ministry said in a statement.

"Despite providing him with the appropriate medical attention, he died," the statement said.

Opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who orchestrated the attempted uprising against Mr Maduro on 30 April, claimed in a video that Mr Acosta was "savagely and brutally tortured".