Police arrested a suspect today following the mysterious weekend murder of former Venezuelan intelligence official Eliezer Otaiza, who had close ties to late president Hugo Chavez.

Mr Otaiza’s body was dumped in a forested area on the edge of Caracas on Saturday after his vehicle was intercepted by armed men. He had been shot four times.

President Nicolas Maduro honoured Mr Otaiza in a ceremony at the National Assembly on Tuesday, promoting him post-mortem to lieutenant colonel and urging his supporters to stay on maximum alert.

“There’s no such thing as casual coincidence. Let’s not forget the context of the last few months,” he said.

Interior Minister Manuel Rodriguez Torres said that the arrested suspect had led police to identify other alleged gunmen.

Mr Otaiza had backed Mr Chavez’s failed 1992 coup attempt and taken responsibility for his personal security guard when he became president in 1999.