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Photo composition showing the prime minister of the Israeli settler state, Benjamin Netanyahu (left), and former president of Colombia, Iván Duque (right), with the flags of Colombia and "Israel" in the background, next to the silhouette of a faceless person with a pack of drugs. Photo: Venezuela News.
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, has condemned the fact that the espionage software known as Pegasus—originating from the Israeli settler state—has been used to destabilize the Venezuelan nation, as well as other countries in the region.
In an interview with the multinational Venezuela-based news network Telesur this Wednesday, September 25, the president explained that this espionage malware is being used in the region to collect and use private information from important political figures in their destabilization plans. President Maduro further accused the former Colombian president, Iván Duque, of using Pegasus to ruin the peace of the continent, starting with Venezuela and Colombia.
According to the Venezuelan president, one of those who began using Pegasus was Duque—described as the heir to Álvaro Uribe’s narcopolitics—and added that Duque was involved in espionage operations that aimed to destabilize the government of Venezuela.
“It was possible to verify a payment made by the government of Iván Duque,” reported the head of state, “to assassinate important political leaders of the Bolivarian Revolution.” He also recalled that at the time, he had condemned the participation of the former president of Colombia—during his term from 2018-2022—in the assassination of former Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
President Maduro added that international agencies of US origin—such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)—were directly involved in these plans.
Fueling the fire
President Maduro also highlighted the role of the Colombian mainstream media in these plots, noting Semana magazine in particular, which, according to him, had received direct information from Duque regarding the use of the Pegasus spyware and published it in attempts to justify his actions.
The Venezuelan head of state went on to warn against the continuation of these plans, stating that “the Pegasus system is currently being used to try to overthrow President Petro, as well as cause harm to Venezuela.”
He said that behind these conspiracies are the same actors who are trying to replace the peace in Venezuela with violence, pointing to foreign intelligence agencies as those responsible. “We have evidence that they are looking for hitmen and mercenaries from Bogotá,” he explained.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
