Three US citizens, two Spaniards and a Czech citizen have been detained in Venezuela on suspicion of plotting to destabilise the country, the government said, as the United States and Spain denied Caracas' allegations they were involved.
The arrests come amid heightened tensions between Venezuela and both the United States and Spain over Venezuela's disputed July 28 presidential election, which the country's opposition accuses President Nicolás Maduro of stealing.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Saturday the foreign nationals were being held on suspicion of planning an attack on Maduro and his government.
"We know that the United States government has links to this operation," Cabello asserted.
The US citizens were named as Wilbert Josep Castañeda – an alleged "active military man" from the United States and "chief" of the plan, Caracas claimed – as well as Estrella David and Aaron Barren Logan.
Cabello said two Spaniards were recently detained in Puerto Ayacucho in the southwest.
He added that three US citizens and a Czech national were also arrested and linked the alleged plot to intelligence agencies in the United States and Spain, as well as to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
Maduro has heaped blame for the tide of adversity his country faces on the "imperialist" United States, which he accuses of conspiring with his Venezuelan opponents to overthrow him.
A US State Department spokesperson said Saturday that "any claims of US involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false."
The spokesperson additionally confirmed that a US military member was being held and noted "unconfirmed reports of two additional US citizens detained in Venezuela."
Spain also rejected allegations it was involved.
"Spain denies and categorically rejects any insinuation that it is involved in a political destabilisation operation in Venezuela," a Foreign Ministry source told AFP Sunday.
The government has "confirmed" that the two Spanish detainees are not part of Spain's CNI spy agency "or any other state body," the source added.
"Spain defends a democratic and peaceful solution to the situation in Venezuela," the source said.
The two Spaniards, Andrés Martínez Adasme and José María Basoa, were on holiday in Venezuela, Adasme's father told daily Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
"My son does not work for the CNI, of course not. We are waiting for information from the consulate and embassy. We still do not know what they are accused of or the reason for their arrest," he added.
Cabello said those detained had "contacted French mercenaries, they contacted mercenaries from Eastern Europe and they are in an operation to try to attack our country."
He added that "more than 400 rifles were seized" and accused the detainees of plotting "terrorist acts."
One of the plans, claimed Cabello, was an"attack" the Argentine embassy – where six of Machado's collaborators are holed up – and then "blame" the government.
The Czech Republic has yet to react to the sensational claims, which come amid a deepening stand-off between Maduro and Western powers.
Maduro dictatorship
Maduro, who succeeded iconic left-wing leader Hugo Chávez on his death in 2013, insists he won a third term but failed to release detailed voting tallies to back his claim.
Tensions between Caracas and former colonial power Spain rose sharply after Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, 75, went into exile in Spain a week ago, after being threatened with arrest.
Caracas on Thursday recalled its ambassador to Madrid for consultations and summoned Spain's envoy to Venezuela for talks after a Spanish minister accused Maduro of running a "dictatorship."
Venezuela was also angered by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's decision to meet with González Urrutia and warned Spain against any "interference" in its affairs.
Caracas has additionally been engaged in a war of words with the United States, which recognised González Urrutia as the winner of the election.
Washington announced new sanctions on Thursday against 16 Venezuelan officials, including some from the electoral authority, for impeding "a transparent electoral process" and not publishing accurate results.
Venezuela denounced the measures as a "crime of aggression" and Maduro decorated four military officers among those targeted by the sanctions.
Maduro's claim to have won a third term in office sparked mass opposition protests, which claimed at least 27 lives and left 192 people wounded.
The opposition published polling station-level results that it said showed González Urrutia winning by a landslide.
About 2,400 people, including numerous teens, were arrested in the unrest.
Opposition leader Machado called Saturday for more protests on September 28, two months since the election, to demand international recognition for González Urrutia as president.
Maduro also claimed victory amid widespread accusations of fraud after Venezuela's previous election in 2018.
With the support of the military and other institutions, he managed to cling to power despite international sanctions.
Maduro's tenure since 2013 has seen GDP drop 80 percent in a decade, prompting more than seven million of the country's 30 million citizens to emigrate.
– TIMES/AFP
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