Venezuela arrested three Americans, two Spanish, and a Czech citizen on Saturday over their alleged involvement in a U.S.-sponsored plot to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced the arrests on Saturday on state television. The country has been in a state of political chaos since a contested vote was held at the end of July. Its relations with Washington, Madrid, and other Western democracies have deteriorated.
Cabello told Reuters, “These groups are trying to take the wealth of the country, and as a government, we will be resolute in our response to any attempt at destabilization.” “400 rifles from the United States were seized.”
The U.S. State Department has confirmed that three Americans, including a Navy serviceman, are being detained in Venezuela but denied any link to an assassination.
“Any claims that the United States is involved in a plot against Maduro, are categorically untrue.” According to media reports, the United States continues its support for a democratic solution to Venezuela’s political crisis.
Maduro is a socialist who has been president since 2013. He was declared the winner of Venezuela’s presidential vote on July 28. The government has failed to produce convincing evidence since then to silence accusations that the leadership competition was marred by fraud.
The controversial results of the ballots triggered massive protests by the opposition. This sparked an unusually violent response from the government, which left over two dozen dead and nearly 200 wounded.
The arrests followed the U.S. Treasury’s decision to levy sanctions on several Maduro allies for making voting difficult on election days and for human rights violations.
The tensions between Caracas, Madrid, and the Venezuelan opposition were exacerbated after the Spanish Parliament recognized Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner of the July elections. Gonzalez, who fled to Spain last week to avoid an arrest warrant, received a warm welcome from Spanish Primer Pedro Sanchez, a diplomatic gesture that further enraged Maduro.
Venezuela called its ambassador in Spain and summoned him to complain over a Spanish Minister who accused Maduro’s regime of being a dictatorship.
During his press conference on Saturday, Cabello argued that the arrested Spanish nationals had links to Spain’s secret service and were planning the killing of a mayor — a claim that was promptly denied by the Spanish government, according to local media.
