Two people have been arrested on suspicion of killing Venezuelan congressman Robert Serra and his partner Maria Herrera.

The supreme court said yesterday that Eduwin Torres and Carlos Garcia had been held for their alleged involvement in the killing.

Mr Serra was the youngest-ever deputy in the Venezuelan parliament and was a rising star of the ruling United Socialist Party.

The court did not give any further details about the two suspects but said they will remain at the Bolivarian Intelligence Agency headquarters in Caracas while the crime is investigated. The pair could face up to 30 years in jail.

The Interior Ministry has rejected suggestions that the murder could have been a robbery gone wrong, saying it was planned in advance.

It said there was evidence that Mr Torres and Mr Garcia had carried out surveillance on Mr Serra’s house before the murder.

President Nicolas Maduro has blamed shady right-wing opposition groups in Venezuela and Colombia for the murder.

He said “terrorist groups encouraged by sectors of Venezuela’s ultra-right and Colombian paramilitary groups are behind this (effort) to bring violence to our country.”

Meanwhile, Venezuelan authorities said that Caracas prosecutor Maria Perdomo was investigating the leaking of images of Mr Serra’s body.

Last week, a Twitter user “Victor Ugar” uploaded two photos of the congressman’s body, which prompted a wave of criticism.