Three U.S. citizens, two Spaniards and a Czech citizen have been arrested in Venezuela on suspicion of plotting to destabilize the country through “violent actions,” the government said Saturday, adding that hundreds of weapons had been seized.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the five were being held on suspicion of planning an attack on President Nicolas Maduro and his government. The arrests come amid heightened tensions between Venezuela and the United States and Spain over violence against women. Venezuela’s disputed July 28 presidential election, which the country’s opposition accuses Maduro of stealing.
Maduro, a former bus driver who succeeded iconic leftist leader Hugo Chavez when he died in 2013, insists he has won a third term but has not released detailed vote tallies to back up his claim.
“We know that the United States government has links to this operation,” said Cabello, who added that the two Spaniards had recently been arrested in Puerto Ayacucho, in the southwest of the country.
He added that three Americans and a Czech national were also arrested and linked the alleged plot to US and Spanish intelligence agencies as well as Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
A US Navy sailor was arrested in Venezuela Last week, during a personal visit to the country, multiple U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News that the enlisted sailor was a petty officer first class and a former Navy SEAL who was assigned to a West Coast team, multiple U.S. officials and a senior Defense Department official told CBS News. It was unclear whether the sailor was one of the three Americans confirmed to be in custody Saturday.
“They have contacted French mercenaries, they have contacted Eastern European mercenaries and they are in an operation to try to attack our country,” he said.
He added that “more than 400 rifles were seized” and accused the detainees of preparing “terrorist acts.”
The United States, Spain and the Czech Republic have yet to respond to the sensational statements, which come amid growing confrontation between Maduro and Western powers. A plane belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was seized by the United States and brought to Florida, the Justice Department said, claiming the plane was exported from Florida in violation of U.S. sanctions.
Tensions between Caracas and former colonial power Spain have risen sharply after Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, 75, went into exile in Spain a week agoafter being threatened with arrest.
Earlier this week, Caracas recalled its ambassador to Madrid for consultations and summoned Spain’s ambassador to Venezuela for talks after a Spanish minister accused Maduro of running a “dictatorship.” Venezuela also expressed outrage at Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s decision to meet with Gonzalez Urrutia and warned Spain against “interfering” in its affairs.
Caracas is also engaged in a war of words with the United States, which recognized Gonzalez Urrutia as the winner of the election. Washington announced Thursday new sanctions against 16 Venezuelan officials, including some from the electoral authority, for obstructing “a transparent electoral process” and failing to publish accurate results.
Venezuela has denounced the sanctions as a “crime of aggression” and Maduro has decorated four military officers among those targeted by the sanctions. Maduro’s proclamation of winning a third term sparked mass opposition protests that have left at least 27 dead and 192 injured.
The opposition has released polling station results, which it says show Gonzalez Urrutia wins landslide victory. About 2,400 people, including many teenagers, were arrested during the unrest. After Venezuela’s last election, in 2018, Maduro also claimed victory amid widespread accusations of fraud. With the support of the military and other institutions, he has managed to cling to power despite international sanctions.
Maduro’s tenure since 2013 has caused GDP to fall by 80% in a decade, forcing more than seven million of the country’s 30 million citizens to migrate.
Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.
