CARACAS: A young lawmaker allied with Venezuela's socialist government was found murdered in Caracas, and the president hinted Thursday at political motivations.
The bodies of Robert Serra, 27, and his partner Maria Herrera, were found at his home late Wednesday. Officials said they had been stabbed.
Serra's coffin, draped with the Venezuelan flag and carried by government supporters, arrived at the National Assembly chapel Thursday, where members paid tribute to their slain comrade.
Throngs of government supporters remained outside during the homage, which was broadcast live on state television.
President Nicolas Maduro said Serra and his companion were killed in premeditated fashion by "a gang of hitmen." He said he could not talk about the investigation underway.
But he hinted at a political motivation for the killings.
"Beyond the physical murder out of hatred, out of revenge, to divert from the path and send a message to young people that rise up, what lies behind this? We have to wonder," a visibly shaken Maduro said late Thursday at the National Assembly.
Miguel Rodriguez Torres, the justice and interior minister, told reporters that the killings "were an intentional act of homicide, planned and carried out with great precision."
He estimated that it took between 15 and 20 minutes to carry out the "macabre errand."
One of Venezuela's youngest lawmakers, Serra began his political career as a student leader in 2007, supporting then president Hugo Chavez during massive anti-government student protests. Serra had been in office since 2010.
Writing on Twitter, Maduro said he felt "immense grief upon learning about the assassination of Robert Serra, a leader of the Bolivarian and Chavista revolution."
The head of Venezuela's National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, vowed in a Twitter message that authorities "will bring to justice those responsible for this crime."
Opposition leaders also expressed outrage over the murders, in a rare moment of unity between Venezuela's political factions.
Henrique Capriles -- the state governor who was narrowly defeated by Maduro in presidential elections last year -- tweeted that "the death of any Venezuelan deserves our strongest rebuke."
Venezuela is one of the world's most violent countries with 53 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, according to United Nations statistics.
In 2012 Serra's bodyguard was found dead, shot in the head but not robbed of any of his belongings, a murder that has never been solved.
According to experts, impunity remains a large factor in Venezuela's high crime rate, with 92 out of 100 homicides going unsolved.
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