Donald Trump says Venezuela's embattled opposition leader must be protected, as President Nicolas Maduro prepares to take the oath again after allegedly stealing an election.

Machado was arrested by government security forces Thursday as she left a rally in Caracas on the eve of Maduro's inauguration after a widely discredited election.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she is now safe after her aides said she was “intercepted” at a protest in Caracas on the eve of President Nicolas Maduro’s inauguration.

Machado, a former lawmaker who has spearheaded the opposition to President Nicolas Maduro in recent years, was detained by security agents who shot at motorcycles she was using to leave a protest in Caracas, the capital, according to posts on social media from her party. She was freed about an hour later, according to the party.

Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado defies Maduro to lead protests that ended with her brief arrest.View on euronews

President-elect Donald Trump gave Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a stern warning on Thursday not to harm his country’s opposition leader.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, whose nearly 12 years in office have been marked by a deep economic and social crisis, was sworn in for his third term on Friday, remaining in power despite a six-month-long dispute over a contested July election and international calls for him to stand aside.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro will be sworn in for a third six-year term after a reelection widely viewed as illegitimate and as his administration grows increasingly brazen in cracking down on