Venezuelan authorities have detained an opposition leader ahead of Maduro's inauguration.

57-year-old Machado may have been captured not by official security forces, but by a pro-government group, the newspaper reports. Armed individuals on motorcycles and in jeeps participated in the detention, and they were equipped with drones. According to the opposition's associates, shots were reportedly fired, resulting in one person being injured.

The arrest occurred a day before the presidential inauguration ceremony. Nicolás Maduro was once again declared the winner following the elections held last summer. The opposition does not recognize his victory and claims that the opposition candidate Edmundo González won instead. He left the country after the elections but stated that he would take the oath in Caracas on January 10.

El Confidencial highlights that until today, the Venezuelan authorities had avoided detaining key opposition leaders, instead opting to facilitate their departure from the country. Machado had not left Venezuela. The day before, Nicolás Maduro, during a ceremony for reservists mobilized into the armed forces ahead of the inauguration, accused her of attempting to organize a series of bombings and attacks on the country's leadership.

González, who has been recognized as the winner of the presidential elections by many countries worldwide, demanded the immediate release of Machado. Juan Papierre, a representative of the American office of Human Rights Watch, stated that the global community must unite to secure the release of the opposition figure. The authorities have not commented on the situation.