Authorities have identified the masterminds of the assassination attempt as well as the people who assisted them, Saab said previously.
The investigation, which involves four prosecutors, has yielded the locations from where the drones were piloted, as well as the arrests of two of the drone pilots, the country’s top law enforcement official said.
“We also know the places where they stayed in the days leading to the attack. We have identified the people who made the explosives and prepared the weapons and their international links,” Saab said.
He further said the alleged assassination constituted a “betrayal to the motherland, intentional homicide attempt, terrorism, association to commit a crime and financing terrorism.”
‘Not only are they confessing…’
Saab’s announcement comes a day after Interior Minister Néstor Reverol said six people had been arrested in connection with Saturday’s attack in the capital.
The suspects were charged with “terrorism and assassination,” Reverol said, and one of them had an open arrest warrant for his alleged role in the August 2017 attack on a military base in Valencia. Another was previously arrested during anti-government protests in 2014, he said.
Maduro survived the assault, during which the government says drones armed with explosives flew toward him as he spoke at a military parade. He earlier blamed the attack on far-right elements and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. Colombia called the claim absurd and said it had become “customary for Maduro to blame Colombia for any kind of problem in his country.”
Attackers used two DJI M600 drones that each carried 1 kilogram of C-4 explosive, Reverol said. DJI, the Chinese company that makes the drone, said its products are “purely for peaceful purposes” and it stands ready to assist investigators.
The munitions could cause damage in a radius of 50 meters, and intelligence services were able to identify the nearby streets that were used for launching the drones from a distance, he said.
The plot was hatched at least six months ago, Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez told the state-run Russian media outlet, Sputnik.
Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez told Sputnik “the majority of those responsible have been detained. Not only are they confessing, the government has also been able to examine the material that was in their possession, as well as some of the electronic devices they had including cell phones and computers.”
Rodriguez also provided additional details of the incident.
Maduro blames far right
The incident took place as Maduro was speaking at a commemoration of the 81st anniversary of the Venezuelan national guard that featured a military parade.
Live footage of the event showed him suddenly looking up startled midspeech, while beside him his wife, Cilia Flores, winced after a loud bang and dozens of soldiers were seen scattering. Seven members of the national guard were hurt during the attack.
Maduro appeared on national TV a couple of hours later, when he spoke about the investigation and arrests.
He said the Venezuelan political far right in collaboration with the Colombian far right and Colombian President Santos were behind the attack. He also blamed Venezuelans living in the United States.
“The preliminary investigation indicates that many of those responsible for the attack, the financiers and planners, live in the United States in the state of Florida,” Maduro said.
US National Security Adviser John Bolton told Fox News on Sunday that the US government had no involvement in the attack, a response reiterated in Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s remarks to reporters Monday. Bolton said US officials would be willing to look at any “hard information” involving the attack.
Santos, meanwhile, tweeted directly to Maduro, saying, “Don’t worry. On Saturday, I was doing more important things, baptizing my granddaughter Celeste.”
The Venezuelan government has long blamed Colombia for plotting overthrows, and far-right elements in Bogota and Miami for attempting to undercut Maduro. Ivan Duque takes over as the Colombian President this week.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct the translation of Colombian President Santos' tweet.
CNN’s Stefano Pozzebon reported from Caracas and Eliott C. McLaughlin and Joe Sterling wrote from Atlanta. CNN’s Laura Perez Maestro, Marilia Brocchetto and Jonny Hallam contributed to this report.