The echoes of 2002 have not been lost on Mr Maduro, who raised the spectre of the coup in his televised address. A similar plot was now underway, he said, explaining that "the two (opposition protesters) have shots to the head the same as the 11th of April, snipers assassinated Venezuelans to justify a coup d'etat. Today a plan was activated with the same characteristics, but in the Venezuela of today they couldn't do what they did to the people of Venezuela 11 years ago".