A banner trailed from the helicopter: "350 Liberty." The number referred to Article 350 of the Venezuelan Constitution, which grants citizens the right to disown any regime that violates democratic values. The man flying the MBB Bo 105 over central Caracas on the afternoon of June 27, 2017, was Oscar Perez — criminal investigator for the CICPC, amateur film actor, and, as of that afternoon, the most wanted man in Venezuela. What followed was not a military coup or a terrorist attack, despite what President Nicolas Maduro would call it. It was something stranger and more desperate: a single helicopter, blank cartridges, stun grenades, and a message aimed at anyone who would look up.
The context was combustible. Venezuela's 2017 protest movement had filled streets across the country for months. Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz had publicly broken with the Bolivarian government, condemning its response to the protests and opposing Maduro's plan to convene a Constituent Assembly to rewrite the constitution originally drafted under Hugo Chavez. The pro-Maduro Supreme Tribunal moved swiftly against Ortega, approving motions to ban her from leaving the country, freeze her assets, and strip her of prosecutorial authority. Her powers were transferred to ombudsman Tarek William Saab, a Maduro ally. On the morning of June 27, Maduro himself declared publicly that if his government fell, he and his supporters would use force to restore it. By afternoon, the helicopter was in the air.
Before taking off, Perez released a video flanked by armed men. "We are nationalists, patriots, and institutionalists," he declared. "This fight is not with the rest of the state forces — it is against the tyranny of this government." He then piloted the CICPC helicopter over the Baruta Municipality and toward the Interior Ministry, where a reception celebrating National Journalists' Day was underway for some 80 people. Communications Minister Ernesto Villegas reported 15 shots fired at the building. Perez later clarified that the munitions were non-lethal: blank cartridges and stun grenades designed to draw attention to his banner, not to kill. Maduro, who was speaking publicly at the time, interrupted himself to announce the news. "I saw a little video on social media," he said, before declaring that air defenses had been deployed and invoking Plan Zamora, the government's security protocol for civil unrest.
The helicopter's flight ended in a rural landing on a farmer's field near Osma in Vargas state, northeast of Caracas. The farmer, Reinaldo Reyes Castillo, reported the aircraft to authorities and was rewarded with arrest, then sentenced by a military court to imprisonment at Ramo Verde — the same military prison holding opposition members and protesters. Meanwhile, Bolivarian National Guardsmen stormed the National Assembly, assaulting opposition legislators. Government supporters gathered outside, shooting fireworks at people and damaging vehicles while members of the press were beaten. Pro-government colectivos later attacked lawmakers inside the Federal Legislative Palace with pipes, firearms, and fireworks, injuring at least 12 people. The National Guard, present throughout, did not intervene to stop the violence.
On July 4, Oscar Perez resurfaced on social media, calling the helicopter flight a deliberate "first phase" intended to frighten rather than harm. He insisted his group were not murderers and accused Maduro and Diosdado Cabello of being the real killers of Venezuelans. He remained on the run for months, becoming a folk hero to some and a terrorist to the government. The hunt ended on January 15, 2018, when Venezuelan security forces raided his location in El Junquito. Perez was killed in the operation — an outcome that former Attorney General Ortega Diaz, now in exile, publicly denounced as an extrajudicial execution. Multiple nations had already weighed in on the original incident: Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, and the United States all issued statements, variously condemning the helicopter action, the government crackdown, or the broader climate of political violence consuming Venezuela.
Located at 10.500°N, 66.917°W over central Caracas, near the Supreme Tribunal of Justice and Interior Ministry buildings. The helicopter's flight path crossed the Baruta Municipality in southeastern Caracas. The aircraft was later found in Osma, Vargas state, northeast of the city. Nearest major airport is Simon Bolivar International Airport (SVMI/CCS), about 20 km north. The area around the Supreme Court and National Assembly is in the dense urban core of Caracas, visible at lower altitudes near the Plaza Bolivar area.