US soldier detained in Venezuela, officials say

A U.S. soldier has been detained in Venezuela, according to four American sources familiar with the matter.

The U.S. Navy SEAL, a U.S. citizen, was detained Aug. 30 in Caracas, officials said. One official said he was being held by Venezuelan intelligence agency SEBIN.

A defense official told CNN, “We are aware of reports that a U.S. Navy sailor was detained on or about August 30, 2024, by Venezuelan law enforcement while on a business trip to Venezuela. The U.S. Navy is investigating this matter and is working closely with the State Department. For additional questions, please contact the State Department.”

Another official said the soldier was not on a business trip or had approved leave when he traveled to the country. It was unclear why he went there.

“We have received reports of an individual detained in Venezuela,” a State Department spokesman said.

“We have no further information to provide at this time,” the spokesman said.

The White House said Wednesday it was “in contact” with Venezuelan authorities for additional information on the situation, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

“We are obviously in contact, as you think we should be, with the Venezuelan authorities to try to get more knowledge and information on this,” Kirby said at a White House news conference Wednesday.

The State Department advises against Americans traveling to Venezuela, warning that “there is a significant risk that U.S. citizens will be arbitrarily detained.”

“Security forces have detained U.S. citizens for up to five years,” the warning for travelers to Venezuela reads. “The U.S. government is not typically notified of the detention of U.S. citizens in Venezuela, nor does it have access to U.S. citizen prisoners there.”

CNN has reached out to the Venezuelan government for comment.

The detention of the U.S. citizen comes at a time of serious unrest in Venezuela, after the opposition and many Latin American leaders refused to recognize the re-election of the country’s authoritarian leader, Nicolas Maduro, in July. Protests against the election have erupted in Venezuela, with at least 11 people reportedly killed and hundreds more detained.

Just this week, the U.S. seized Maduro’s plane in the Dominican Republic. CNN was first to report the takeover, a significant development in already tense relations between the U.S. and Venezuela. One U.S. official told CNN that the takeover “sends a message all the way to the top.”

“The seizure of a foreign head of state’s aircraft is unheard of in criminal cases. We are sending a clear message that no one is above the law, no one is above the reach of U.S. sanctions,” the official said.

The latest detention of a U.S. soldier comes about two years after nine Americans — including the “Citgo 6” — were brought home from Venezuela by the Biden administration in 2022 after five years in the country. In December 2023, the U.S. secured the release of six wrongfully detained Americans and four other Americans held in Venezuela.

CNN’s Jennifer Hansler and Samantha Waldenberg contributed to this report.

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