Venezuela president Nicolas Maduro accused the leader of opposition Juan Guaido and the United States of masterminding a plot to kill him.

The American imperialism wants to kill me, Maduro said in an address aired on state television.

“We have dismantled a plan organized personally by the diabolical puppet to kill me,” he said.

Maduro called “diabolical puppet” several times during his speech.

Mass protests against Maduro started on January 21. Head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly Guaido declared himself an interim head of the state. A number of states recognized Guaido’s power, while Russia, China and a number of other countries supported Maduro as a legitimate president.