CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The disputed jailhouse death of an opposition councilman arrested on allegations of plotting to kill President Nicolas Maduro has triggered alarm among many Venezuelans and swift condemnation from several foreign dignitaries.
Venezuela's government said on Monday that Fernando Alban took his own life by leaping from the 10th floor of the state intelligence agency's headquarters. But opposition leaders denied the official version and a few dozen of Alban's supporters gathered outside the building yelling "Maduro killer!" contending that he had been murdered.
"There's no doubt this was an assassination," opposition leader Julio Borges said in a video from exile in neighboring Colombia, without providing evidence of his claim.
Alban, 56, was taken into custody Friday at Caracas' international airport upon arriving from New York, according to his lawyer.
