Three Americans, two Spaniards, and a Czech citizen were arrested in Venezuela after being accused of coming to the country to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro. The arrests were announced on state television by Diosdado Cabello, the nation’s powerful interior minister.
Cabello claimed the foreign citizens were part of a CIA-led plot to overthrow the Venezuelan government and kill several members of its leadership. The arrests included a Navy SEAL named Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez. Spain’s embassy in Venezuela did not respond to a request for comment on the arrests of its citizens.
The U.S. State Department confirmed the detention of a U.S. military member and was aware of “unconfirmed reports of two additional U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela.” The statement stated that any claims of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false.
The announcement of the arrests comes just two days after the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on 16 allies of Maduro who were accused by the U.S. government of obstructing voting during the disputed July 28 Venezuelan presidential election and carrying out human rights abuses. Tensions between Venezuela’s government and the U.S. have increased following the election, which sparked protests within Venezuela.
Venezuela’s Electoral Council, closely aligned with the Maduro administration, said Maduro won the election with 52% of the vote. Opposition activists surprised the government by collecting tally sheets from 80 percent of the nation’s voting machines, which indicate that Gonzalez won the election with twice as many votes as Maduro.
