Venezuela says it has arrested 6 foreigners allegedly involved in a plot to kill Maduro

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech citizen were arrested Saturday after Venezuelan officials accused them of coming to the South American country to commit an attack President Nicolas Maduro.

The arrests were announced on state television by Diosdado Cabello, the country’s influential interior minister. Cabello said the foreigners were part of a CIA-led plot to overthrow the Venezuelan government and kill several members of its leadership. On the telecast, Cabello showed photos of rifles he said had been confiscated from some of the conspirators in the alleged scheme.

The arrest of the American citizens included a member of the Navy, according to Cabello. The Spanish embassy in Venezuela did not respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. State Department on Saturday evening confirmed the detention of a U.S. military member and said it was aware of “unconfirmed reports of two additional U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela.”

“Any claims of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false. The United States continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela,” the statement said.

The arrests come just two days after the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 16 Maduro allies accused by the U.S. government of obstructing voting in Venezuela’s disputed July 28 presidential election and violating human rights.

Earlier this week, Spain’s parliament recognised opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner of the election, angering Maduro’s allies who called on the Venezuelan government to suspend trade and diplomatic relations with Spain.

Tensions between the Venezuelan government and the U.S. have also increased following the election, the results of which sparked protests in Venezuela during which hundreds of opposition activists were arrested.

The Venezuelan Electoral Council, which is closely linked to Maduro’s administration, said Maduro won the election with 52% of the vote, but did not provide a detailed breakdown of the results.

Opposition activists surprised the government, however, by collecting result sheets from 80% of the country’s voting machines. The result sheets collected by the opposition were posted online and show that Gonzalez won the election with twice as many votes as Maduro.

Despite international condemnation of the election’s lack of transparency, Venezuela’s Supreme Court, which has long supported Maduro, confirmed his victory in August. Venezuela’s attorney general then filed conspiracy charges against Gonzalez, who fled to Spain last week when it became clear he would be arrested.

Maduro has rejected requests from several countries, including the leftist governments of Colombia and Brazil, to provide results sheets proving he won the election. Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, has long said the U.S. is trying to overthrow him with sanctions and covert operations.

Maduro’s administration has previously used Americans imprisoned in Venezuela to extract concessions from the U.S. government. As part of a deal last year with the Biden administration, Maduro freed 10 Americans and a fugitive wanted by the U.S. government to obtain a presidential pardon for Alex Saab, a close Maduro ally who was being held in Florida on money-laundering charges. U.S. prosecutors say Saab also helped Maduro evade U.S. Treasury sanctions through a complex web of front companies.