VENEZUELAN President Nicolas Maduro has announced that his administration had foiled a coup attempt, which he alleged had been mounted with US support.

“We have dismantled a coup attempt against democracy, against the stability of our homeland,” President Maduro said in a televised address on Thursday. 

He didn’t name individual members of the military who were involved, but claimed the US government and right-wing opposition groups in Venezuela had been behind the plan. 

President Maduro said air force officers, including a general, were being held for plotting to bomb the presidential palace with a military jet.

Meanwhile, anti-government protesters threw rocks and firebombs at police during marches marking a year since the start of a campaign of violent demonstrations in the country.

In the capital Caracas youths set up a burning barricade to block off the main route through a wealthy neighbourhood.

Molotov cocktails were thrown at police, who responded with rubber bullets.

Caracas students rallied against Mr Maduro’s administration but were outnumbered by riot police.

And, across the city, a far larger number of people demonstrated in support of Mr Maduro.

Elsewhere, youths in San Cristobal masked their faces with bandanas and threw missiles at riot officers, who responded with tear gas.

Onlookers with children in their arms were seen fleeing the violence, which left several people injured.

The city was the focus of last year’s rallies by pro-government demonstrators and attacks by their opponents, which resulted in more than 40 deaths over several months.