Detained Caracas mayor undergoes surgery

Detained Caracas mayor undergoes surgery

CARACAS, April 27, 2015 (AFP) - The mayor of Venezuela's capital Caracas, who has been in detention since February on charges of plotting to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro, successfully underwent hernia surgery on Sunday, according to a member of his party.

"Mayor (Antonio) Ledezma had a successful operation. He will recuperate with his loved ones," Ricardo Blanco, a national assembly member, wrote on Twitter.

Ledezma's doctors said he would be placed under observation for up to 72 hours and would be allowed home, where he will be kept under house arrest during his convalescence.

The 59-year-old mayor was arrested on February 19 on charges of conspiring to stage a US-funded attempted coup against President Nicolas Maduro.

He had been held at a military prison, along with fellow Maduro opponent Leopoldo Lopez.

Lopez has been charged with inciting anti-government violence that killed 43 people between February and May 2014.

The United States has dismissed the coup claims as "baseless and false" and has condemned Ledezma's arrest.

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