During her detention, an aide said, Maria Corina Machado “was forced to record several videos.” She has garnered enormous support for her opposition to Nicolás Maduro.

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.