Versión Español
EspañolIn the evening hours of Thursday, February 12, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro informed the nation that a plot to assassinate him and overthrow his government had been foiled.
The conspiracy? Venezuelan air-force officers planned to direct a Tucano (Toucan) fighter aircraft to attack the Miraflores presidential palace, among other locations. Social-media users, however, were quick to mock Maduro’s claims — apparently the 26th plot against his government since he came to power in April 2013 — as both lacking in any evidence and completely infeasible.
But as Maduro continues to stick to his story on the coup d’état — excusing himself from the inauguration of Uruguayan President Tabaré Vázquez to avert the purported risk of an uprising — it’s worth revisiting the social-media backlash to see how Venezuelans ridiculed, and disproved, their president’s far-fetched claims.
Detenido el tucan sam por ser el principal sospechoso en el intento de atentado en contra del NICOLAS MADURO #Tucano pic.twitter.com/rCagm4aJws
— JOHNNY MOLOTOV?? (@JOHNNYMOLOTOV) February 13, 2015
“Toucan Sam arrested as the prime suspect in the attempted attack against Nicolás Maduro #Tucano.”
Nicolás Maduro "Me querían atacar con un tucano" pic.twitter.com/pPNNxDJXRA
— IG: @MarceloNolla (@MarceloNolla) February 13, 2015
“Nicolás Maduro: ‘They wanted to attack me with a Tucano.'”
@IdaniaChirinos este Es el tucano del que habla maduro pic.twitter.com/8ntM2dPheK
— Henry Montañez (@henrympa) February 13, 2015
“This is the Tucano Maduro is talking about.”
…Tucano1 a base, objetivo alcanzado repito objetivo alcanzado !!! pic.twitter.com/HqjZ8gUciW
— Xcαlibєя ?? (@Xcaliber_2000) February 13, 2015
“Tucano1 to base: target reached, I repeat, target reached!”
Aviones Tucano que serian utilizados en el supuesto golpe pic.twitter.com/4ltsdAi3DX
— Manuel ESE (@ManuelSuarezQ) February 13, 2015
“Tucano aircraft to be used in the alleged coup.”
https://twitter.com/gochito2014/status/566265270847946752
“Here’s the Tucano attacking Maduro.”
Moreover, several commentators have noted that the Tucano aircraft deployed by Venezuela could hardly be used successfully in the kind of operation described by Maduro, given their small armaments and lack of speed.
Dicen los expertos que cualquier avión ruso o un F-16 tumba con un soplido a un avión tucano de hélice más lento que la cola del jabón
— Elides J Rojas L (@ejrl) February 13, 2015
“The experts say that any Russian aircraft, or an F-16, would take down a Tucano easily: they’re slower moving than a line outside a store waiting for soap.”
El Tucano es un excelente avión, pero simplemente no es para lo que Maduro cree que es.
— Rampa Cuatro (@rampacuatro) February 13, 2015
“The Tucano is an excellent aircraft, but it’s just not used for what Maduro thinks it is.”
Una acción hostil por parte de un avión Tucano, con los sistemas antiaéreos que tiene la FAN, no duraría ni 3 minutos en el aire.
— Rampa Cuatro (@rampacuatro) February 13, 2015
“A hostile action by a Tucano plane, against the anti-aircraft systems of the [Venezuelan Armed Forces], wouldn’t even last three minutes in the air.”
"Eligieron el Tucano porque se usaba cuando ellos eran militares activos (…) solo actualizan sus cuentas en dólares"#EnLaCamionetica
— Naky Soto (@Naky) February 13, 2015
“They chose the Tucano because they used it when they were active military officers (…) The only thing they’ve updated is their bank accounts with dollars.”
Translated by Rebeca Morla. Edited by Laurie Blair and Fergus Hodgson.
