It was an outlandish attack on Venezuela’s centers of power: A police helicopter swooped down from a clear sky while someone inside dropped grenades on the Supreme Court and opened fire on the Interior Ministry.

The rogue police officers inside the craft waved a banner that referred to an article in the Constitution that allows for civil uprisings against tyrants.

But if the assault on Tuesday was meant as a call to arms, it instead perplexed Venezuelans who have been protesting against the government and a devastating economic crisis. Demonstrators took to the streets on Wednesday, many voicing admiration for the stunt, but also wondering why anyone would engage in such a hapless attack. The police stayed in their precincts, showing little support for the dissident officers.

Some people even wondered whether the government had somehow orchestrated the events as a distraction.