Juan Guaidó, the Venezuelan opposition leader challenging Nicolás Maduro’s claim to the presidency, warned officers from a feared state security unit Thursday to stay away from his family after claiming they showed up at his apartment.

A visibly flustered but ­determined Guaidó told a crowd gathered at a university that members of the police Special Action Force, known for its brutal tactics, had gone to his high-rise apartment in Caracas while his 20-month-old daughter was inside and asked for his wife, who owns the unit.

Guaidó, 35, had been living there until recently, when he began changing locations as a security precaution.

Venezuelan police denied on Twitter that special agents had gone to his home.

Guaidó is pressing forward with establishing a transitional government after swearing himself in as the nation’s rightful president.

With wires