CNN
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Venezuela says it has arrested six foreigners, including a US Navy SEAL, for allegedly plotting to “destabilize” the country, which has been reeling from disputed elections earlier this year.
Interior Minister Deostato Cabello said the alleged plot was orchestrated by the CIA and was aimed at assassinating the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro. The US State Department dismissed the claim as “absolutely false”.
The charge comes as Venezuela’s opposition, several Latin American leaders and the United States refuse to recognize Maduro’s controversial election victory, which has been followed by deadly protests that have seen thousands arrested.
At a news conference on Saturday, Cabello identified the Navy SEAL as William Joseph Castaneda Gomez and said he was the leader of the operation. The minister also mentioned two Americans who have been detained: David Estrella and Aaron Barrett Logan.
Apart from the Americans, two Spanish citizens – Jose María Pazova Valdovinos and Andrés Martínez Atasme – and a Czech citizen Jan Darmovsal were arrested, the minister said. He said Venezuelan authorities also seized 400 American guns linked to the alleged plot.
“The CIA is at the forefront of this operation,” Cabello told a news conference, adding that Spain’s National Intelligence Center was also involved. “It’s not surprising to us,” he said.
He alleged that the move had “very clear intentions to kill President Nicolás Maduro.”
The State Department denied the requests. A spokesman confirmed on Saturday that a member of the US military had been arrested in Venezuela, and that the department was “aware of unconfirmed reports of the detention of two additional US citizens” in the country.
“Any claim of US involvement in a plot to oust Maduro is completely false,” the spokesman added. The United States continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela.
A spokesman said the department was seeking more information.
A Spanish foreign ministry source told Reuters it had asked Venezuela for more information.
“The Spanish embassy has sent a verbal note to the Venezuelan government asking the detained citizens to verify their identities and their nationalities and to know what they are accused of,” the source told Reuters. Anonymous.
The Czech Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to CNN that a Czech citizen has been detained in Venezuela. They added that the Czech Embassy in Bogotá is in contact with the family as Venezuela does not have an embassy.
Venezuela is still grappling with the fallout from July’s presidential election, which saw Maduro win a third term, despite global skepticism about the outcome and outcry from the country’s opposition movement.
Opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, who backs the coalition, insists the vote was rigged, and experts say Maduro actually lost the presidency by a significant margin, releasing online tally sheets.
The United States has recognized Gonzalez as the candidate with the most votes in that election, but has not formally recognized him as Venezuela’s president-elect.
Last week, Gonzalez flew to Spain, where he fled after an arrest warrant was issued from Venezuela accusing him of terrorism, conspiracy and other crimes.
On Thursday, the United States imposed sanctions on Venezuelan officials aligned with Maduro for allegedly obstructing the election.
The US also announced that a Venezuelan plane used by Maduro for international travel had been seized in the Dominican Republic; A second plane linked to Maduro is under 24-hour surveillance by authorities in the Dominican Republic, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
Meanwhile, inside the country, Maduro’s government has cracked down on dissent — the harshest crackdown in years, according to Human Rights Watch. The protests have been severely suppressed, with around 2,400 people arrested and many more now fleeing the country.
