Venezuela protesters face tear gas in second day of turmoil

CARACAS, Venezuela — State security forces are using tear gas to disperse protesters opposed to President Nicolás Maduro who have gathered at a middle-class neighborhood in western Caracas.

National Guardsmen on motorcycles arrived at the El Paraiso neighborhood Wednesday as opposition demonstrations got underway.

Some protesters shouted at the agents, saying, “Stop firing at the people!”

Many dispersed after white clouds of tear gas spread through the air while others vowed to remain, waving flags and banging pots.

The protests come a day after opposition leader Juan Guaidó attempted to spur a military uprising against Maduro — though few troops so far have joined his cause.

Maduro supporters are also holding rallies.

Several hundred opposition supporters gathered in a Caracas neighborhood, heeding a call by Guaidó for more protests a day after his calls for a military uprising fell short.

Guaidó backers disappointed

Some of Wednesday’s protesters in Altamira district said they were disappointed by the failure of the military to respond to the call to oust Maduro, as well as by the lack of a massive presence of demonstrators that could force a change of government.

Sixty-three-year-old Ninsa Borges says she’s hoping for a larger turnout of protesters this time.

Maduro has accused Guaidó of trying to stage a coup and says there will be criminal prosecutions.

Flights stopped

The unrest has forced the cancellation of several international flights to and from the country’s main airport.

Spanish airline Air Europa says Wednesday’s Caracas flights have been canceled. Flights over the next 10 days also might also be affected because of the “latest developments” in Venezuela.

The Caracas-based travel agency Molina Viajes says flights to and from Miami on Wednesday have been suspended.

Estelar airline says its Wednesday flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Caracas has been cancelled. However, it says flights to and from Peru and Chile are operating.

Things are running more smoothly underground than in the sky: The Caracas subway is operating again after stopping service during clashes between opposition protesters and security forces across the Venezuelan capital a day earlier.

Bolton: Matter of time

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton says that Maduro is surrounded by “scorpions in a bottle” and it’s only a matter of time before he leaves power.

Bolton says key figures in Maduro’s leadership, including the defense minister and head of the presidential guard, have been “outed” as dealing with the opposition, led by Guaidó, who is recognized by the U.S. and scores of other countries as Venezuela’s legitimate president.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Bolton said he doesn’t think Maduro can look at his defense minister any longer and trust him, and claimed the socialist leader spent most of Tuesday at a military prison in Caracas that the U.S. says is a key Cuban command post in Venezuela “because he doubted the loyalty of the Venezuelan armed forces.”

The White House says U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo intends to discuss developments in Venezuela with his Russian counterpart.

That’s according to Bolton, who says Pompeo and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are expected to speak Wednesday.

Bolton and other U.S. officials say Russia is responsible for a decision by Maduro to remain in his country. Bolton and Pompeo have claimed Maduro was ready to fly to Cuba on Tuesday following an attempted military uprising against him until Russia persuaded him to stay.

The U.S. has provided no evidence for the assertion, and Maduro has ridiculed it.

Massive pro- and anti-Maduro protests are planned across Venezuela on Wednesday. Bolton says the U.S. does not want a repeat of the violence that marred protests Tuesday.