A police officer who flew a helicopter over Venezuelan government buildings firing shots and throwing grenades has been identified as the star of a 2015 action movie.

Oscar Perez is accused of stealing the helicopter - which he drapped with a banner reading "Freedom" - before shooting at the Interior Ministry and dropping the grenades on the Supreme Court.

In a video released on social media he said he was fighting a tyrannical government.

"We have two choices: be judged tomorrow by our conscience and the people or begin today to free ourselves from this corrupt government," he said, reading from a manifesto in front of four masked figures dressed in fatigues.

Police helicopter fires shots at Venezuela court

The 36-year-old investigative police officer was seen firing a rifle from a helicopter and emerging from water in scuba gear in Suspended Death, which he also directed.


He has given numerous interviews about the film and maintained an Instagram feed which showed him riding horses, scuba diving and jumping out of a helicopter with a dog - all despite being part of the elite police unit.

"I'm a man who goes out into the streets without knowing whether I'll return home," Perez said in an interview about the film, which glorifies the work of the investigative police.

Image: Perez released a video saying he is fighting tyranny. Pic: @OSCARPEREZGV/INSTAGRAM

Perez has also appeared in several public service videos, including an anti-corruption campaign in which a police officer takes a bribe from a motorist who later kills his son.

The officer's public profile has led critics of President Nicolas Maduro to suggest that the attack, which caused no deaths or injuries, was staged to give him an excuse to crackdown on the opposition.

But the Venezuelan government has said it is hunting for Perez after the helicopter was found dumped on the Caribbean coast.

Image: President Nicolas Maduro has faced protests by hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans

"It's a terrorist attack that is part of an insurrectional offensive by Venezuelan right-wing extremists with the support of foreign governments and powers," a government communique said.

The assault on the Supreme Court came a day after the president announced the arrests of five opponents he accused of plotting against him to clear the way for a US invasion.

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in recent months calling for an end to Mr Maduro's presidency, as the country suffers food shortages, a collapsing currency and soaring inflation.