The Venezuela uprising : Coup leader Oscar Perez killed

Perez, a 36-year-old former police pilot used a stolen helicopter to lob grenades and shoot at government buildings in June (pictured)

President Maduro can now breathe a sigh of relief. The man who led a rebellion to overthrow his government is dead.  Six other members of a 'terrorist cell' in Venezuela, the government has said.  Perez died in a shoot-out with police

Oscar Perez, a fugitive ex-police helicopter pilot who once starred in an action film, last year used a stolen helicopter to attack government buildings.  He had stolen weapons from a military base in what he called a rebellion against President Nicolas Maduro.

However, his death has led to an outcry over what critics called an extrajudicial killing. This has turned him into a martyr for hard-line foes of Maduro.

'Honor and glory to those brave citizens who gave their life for their ideals,' tweeted former Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma. Ledezma is in exile in Spain after he himself was jailed on charges of leading a coup against Maduro.

Perez, a 36-year-old former police pilot, was wanted for using a stolen helicopter to lob grenades and shoot at government buildings in June as well as for breaking into a National Guard unit in December to steal weapons.