Venezuelan supreme court attacked with grenades thrown from helicopter

A Venezuelan police helicopter attacked the country's supreme court building with grenades in what President Nicolas Maduro described as a "terrorist attack".

In an address from the presidential palace, Maduro said the helicopter strafed the supreme court and also the justice and interior ministries.

According to Reuters news agency, the aircraft fired 15 shots at the Interior Ministry, where a number of people were attending a social event, and dropped four grenades on the court where judges were meeting, but no injuries were reported.

Responding to the attack, Maduro placed the military on alert: "I have activated the entire armed forces to defend the peace," he said.

"Sooner or later, we are going to capture that helicopter and those who carried out this terror attack."

Venezuela's government also said in a communique the helicopter was stolen by investigative police pilot Oscar Perez, who declared himself in rebellion against Maduro.

Images posted on the Reuters website showed Perez waving a banner from the helicopter reading "Liberty", and the number "350" in large letters.

The police officer identified himself as Oscar Pérez in video statements posted on the social media platform Instagram. He appealed to Venezuelans to oppose "tyranny"

"We are a coalition of military employees, policemen and civilians who are looking for balance and are against this criminal government.

"We don't belong to any political tendency or party. We are nationalists, patriots and institutionalists," he said.

Perez said the "fight" was not against the security forces but "against the impunity of this government. It is against tyranny".

Wednesday's events followed mass protests against the country's long political and economic crisis.

Over the previous three months, the 54-year-old socialist leader had faced protests from opposition leaders who decried him as a dictator who had wrecked a once-prosperous economy. There has been growing dissent too from within government and the security forces.

The Supreme Court is regularly criticised by the Venezuelan opposition for its rulings which bolster Mr Maduro's hold on power.

Maduro once said they are seeking a coup against him with the encouragement of a U.S. government eager to gain control of Venezuela's oil reserves, the largest in the world.