Two Colombian hitmen have been arrested for plotting to assassinate the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

The men were part of a 10-strong crack team who had been sent to murder President Nicolas Maduro, the Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez said.

He claimed that the men, named as Vactor Johan Guache Mosquera and Erick Leonardo Huertas Rios, were working on the orders of the former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe.

Mr Rodriguez said they were part of “a group of 10 men who were coming to carry out the murder of the president”.

He added that they were part of a support team for a “highly experienced hitman” identified by the alias David, whom they reported to directly and who was to personally carry out the killing.

Mr Rodriguez claimed that “David” was taking orders from a Colombian who was in prison, Oscar Alcantara Gonzalez, alias “Gancho Mosco”, who allegedly worked for Uribe.

He said: “We have no doubt that Alvaro Uribe Velez has knowledge of all these things … And we are not the least bit surprised that he is the one giving orders through operatives.”

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who lost the April presidential vote and is contesting the results, condemned the claims as far-fetched and said: “Nobody believes that tall tale.”

Mr Rodriguez in June alleged that Mr Maduro was targeted by a separate assassination plot launched from Colombia and the United States.

Venezuela made frequent allegations of assassination plots against the late leftist President Hugo Chavez and has continued to do so under Mr Maduro, his hand-picked successor.

Official results gave Maduro, 50, a razor-thin margin of just 1.5% over Mr Capriles, 41, in the April 14 election.

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