Maduro sends military coup tied to crew member of Iranian plane as ambassador to Tehran

The regime of Nicolás Maduro appointed a commander, José Rafael Silva Apontelike theirs ambassador to Tehranwho participated in the 1992 coup attempt together with one of the crew members of the Venezuelan-Iranian plane Emtrasur, held in Buenos Aires from 6 June.

The now diplomat Silva Aponte has been appointed commander of the Bolivarian Air Force since 2020. He has had a military career since participating in November 1992 in the second coup attempt against Carlos Andrés Pérez, led by the late Hugo Chávez Frías, who exploded on February 4 of the same year in the first blow against democracy.

He was also the new ambassador to Iran Chavez’s aide-de-camp. The officers involved in the two military coups of 1992 they did well in these 23 years of chavismo.

they have occupied high ranks in the direction of the public administration, the economy, services, finance, telecommunications and transport, as well as illegal activities such as smuggling, drug trafficking and corruption.

The link with the Iranian plane

This is where Silva Aponte’s ties with the crew of the plane detained in Ezeiza come from their common past with coup officers. Between 2017 and 2018 he was commander of the El Libertador air base in Palo Negro, Aragua, near Caracas, where he is located. Emtrasur headquarterscargo branch of the Venezuelan airline Conviasa, founded in 2020.

The Emtrasur aircraft, Boeing 747-300 with license plate YV3531, seized at Ezeiza International Airport had an unusual crew of 19 (5 Iranians and 14 Venezuelans).

In the list of 14 Venezuelan crew members, the name of Cornelio Trujillo Candore, 66 years old, indicated by the Venezuelan media as one of the pilots who on November 27, 1992 participated in a coup attempt to free Hugo Chávez, who was in prison. Hence the link with his comrade in arms, the new ambassador Silva Aponte.

Pilot Trujillo is a graduate of the Venezuelan Military Academy and in the course of his career he has achieved some milestones such as promotion to the position of Air Force Lieutenant Colonel.

is also between the founders of Conviasathe Venezuelan airline in which other crewmates work with whom he has been staying for a few days at the Plaza Canning Hotel.

Furthermore, according to the monitoreamos.com portal, on 8 November 2006 he was appointed General Director of Aeronautical Security of the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC).

“He is not a popular character in Venezuela, he is not very well known. Yes, it is for some military experts or older journalists who covered up the coup, “a Venezuelan journalist who preferred to protect his identity told Profile.

Venezuelan airlines Emtrasur and Conviasa, as well as Iranian Mahan Air, which already owns the cargo planes involved in the case, are sanctioned by the US Treasury Department’s Federal Assets Office (OFAC) for its alleged participation in terrorist operations around the world through logistical support.

Caracas, correspondent

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