"Today, I come once again to denounce the plot being prepared by the White House to violate Venezuelan democracy, to assassinate me and to impose a dictatorial government in Venezuela," he said at a press conference.

Maduro said that the alleged conspirators "recently" designated Bolton to head the plot "to fill Venezuela with violence and to seek foreign military intervention, a coup d'etat, to assassinate President Maduro and to impose what they call a transitory government council."

According to the Venezuelan leader, Bolton has been assigning missions to Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro "for military provocations in southern Venezuela, on the border" shared by the two nations.

Maduro reiterated that Bolton's plan to kill him "is already under development" and, to accomplish it, "he's preparing several places where mercenary and paramilitary forces are being trained together with Colombia".

"The Colombian government of Ivan Duque does not want diplomatic or political relations, or communication with Venezuela's legitimate government. It's complicit in John Bolton's plan to bring violence to our country and thus I denounce it, and our armed forces had to be more and more prepared," Maduro stressed.

He said that a paramilitary group called G8 is training in Colombia's Norte de Santander province, and that a total of 734 Colombian and Venezuelan mercenaries are being trained to undertake "false positive" activities, that is making attacks on military units along the border and engaging in escalating violence to confuse public opinion and justify other military actions against Venezuela.

He also said that forces are being trained at Eglin Air Force Base in the US with the mission conducting of a "surgical attack" on Venezuelan air and military bases.

Australian Associated Press