Venezuelan officials have derailed "violent plots" to overthrow the government, which included one to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro, Communications and Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said Wednesday.

The "military coups" were to be perpetrated from June 23 to 24, he told reporters at a press conference in Caracas.

The plans were to sack weapons stockpiles and take over military bases, before assassinating Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores and President of the National Constituent Assembly Diosdado Cabello, he added.

Officials have evidence that the schemes were backed by the far-right opposition and its supporters in Colombia and Chile, said Rodriguez.

"What [Colombian President Ivan] Duque, [Chilean President Sebastian] Pinera, and [Venezuelan opposition leader Juan] Guaido didn't know is that we have been doing follow-up intelligence work on all of these operations, for the past 14 months," said the minister.

Rodriguez said officials have more than 50 hours of audiovisual material on the plots to undermine the government.

Arrest warrants have been issued for several military officers and civilians, he said. 

Maduro warned Wednesday that he would be "ruthless in a revolutionary counter-offensive against an attempted fascist coup - ruthless!"

In a speech broadcast nationwide on radio and television, Maduro denounced the "fascist attempt to assassinate me" - and lashed out at  President Ivan Duque saying his "complicity" was "evident."