Source: Sputnik Mundo
What it’s about: The article from Sputnik serves as an update on the Venezuelan government’s investigation into the failed drone attack against Nicolás Maduro on August 4th. In addition to detailing Maduro’s claims that numerous members of the plot have fled to Peru and his demands that the Peruvian government return them to Venezuela for prosecution, the article gives a brief summary of the attack itself, the government’s investigation, and previous accusations from the Maduro government that the Colombian government and Venezuelan exiles in the U.S. were involved with planning and carrying out the attack.
What’s misleading about it: While reputable news outlets have also covered Maduro’s claims that members of the plot have fled to Peru, none have done so in the misleading manner of the Sputnik article. As with Sputnik‘s previous coverage on Venezuela that we’ve tracked on this website—including on the failed attack and the Constitutional Assembly—this article presents politically charged claims from Maduro and members of his inner circle as fact without any concrete evidence. If the Maduro government releases evidence that perpetrators of the attempt have indeed fled to Peru, we’ll issue a retraction. Until then, however, we’re labeling this story as deliberately misleading.