( CNN ) Political chaos roiled oil-rich Venezuela Friday after intelligence agents in the socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro arrested the mayor of Caracas . The arrest came just days after Maduro accused the mayor of involvement in a plot to overthrow the government . Agents arrested Mayor Antonio Ledezma -- a well-known opposition politician -- on Thursday in a raid that sparked a fierce outcry from the president 's political opponents . President Nicolas Maduro said the mayor will be prosecuted `` so that he answers for all of the crimes committed against the peace , security and constitution of our country . '' In a televised address , Maduro said Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma was captured by order of the Attorney General 's Office . A high-level Venezuelan military source with knowledge of the situation told CNN en Español the mayor was taken into custody because of his alleged involvement in a plot to overthrow the government an accusation Maduro leveled last week . Ledezma denied it , calling it the government 's latest attempt to manufacture controversy and target political opponents . In 2009 , Ledezma staged a hunger strike to protest the political tactics of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez . His attorney , Omar Estacio , decried his detention . Ledezma was `` virtually kidnapped , '' Estacio said , calling it `` a violation of the most fundamental principles of Venezuelan law and international law . '' The mayor 's office told CNN en Español that more than 150 intelligence agents participated in Thursday 's raid . `` They destroyed the doors , '' his wife , Mitzy Capriles , told CNN en Español . `` There was no room for mediation . ( My husband ) was asking them to please stay calm and was asking what was going on . Abruptly , pushing and shoving , and without saying a word a gigantic , enormous contingent of agents , who were all over the place on the sixth-floor office where he works part of the day , took him away . '' Richard Blanco , an opposition Venezuelan lawmaker whose office is also in the building , said he witnessed Ledezma 's arrest . `` They pushed me as well and they pointed their guns at me , '' he said . `` They broke the metropolitan mayor 's office glass doors with a sledgehammer . '' Opposition leaders said Ledezma was a political prisoner unjustly held by the government . Word of his detention spread rapidly on social media after a Twitter post from the mayor 's account Thursday evening said his office had been surrounded by police . About 90 minutes later , another tweet from the account , purportedly written by the mayor 's wife , said he had been beaten and detained without any arrest warrant . `` I hold Maduro responsible for the life of my husband , '' the tweet said . Accusations of coup conspiracies have a long history in Venezuela . A coup briefly removed Chavez from office in 2002 . In his national broadcast Thursday night , Maduro repeated accusations that his government had blocked a U.S.-backed opposition coup plot that included plans to attack the presidential palace with a military jet . `` Enough already with vampires who conspire against peace , '' he said . Maduro 's accusations spurred a sharp response from the U.S. State Department , which called them `` baseless and false . '' `` The United States is not promoting unrest in Venezuela nor are we attempting to undermine Venezuela 's economy or its government . We remain Venezuela 's largest trading partner , '' State Department spokesman Jen Psaki said in a statement Thursday night . `` Venezuela 's economic and political problems are the result of the policies of the Venezuelan government . The Venezuelan government should stop attempting to distract attention from the country 's economic and political problems and focus on finding real solutions through democratic dialogue among Venezuelans . '' The accusations and the Caracas mayor 's arrest come as opposition protesters mark the one-year anniversary of a wave of anti-government demonstrations that rocked Venezuela and led to the arrest of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez . CNN 's Pierre Meilhan , Edwin Mesa , Nelson Quiñones and Laura Koran contributed to this report .
Venezuelan President Ledezma says the mayor of Venezuela will be prosecuted . A military source says Antonio Ledezma was arrested because of alleged involvement in a coup plot . Antonio Ledezma denied that accusation Friday and said the U.S. State Department is targeting the opposition .