Venezuelan authorities announced the arrest of three Americans, two Spaniards, and a Czech citizen on Saturday, accusing them of plotting to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro.
Diosdado Cabello, the country’s interior minister, revealed the arrests on state television, claiming the foreign nationals were part of a CIA-backed conspiracy aimed at overthrowing the Venezuelan government and eliminating key leadership figures. Cabello displayed images of confiscated rifles that were allegedly tied to the group.
Among those detained was a U.S. Navy member, identified by Cabello as Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez, a Navy SEAL with a background in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Colombia. The U.S. State Department confirmed the detention of a military member and acknowledged unverified reports of two additional Americans being held. The department categorically denied any U.S. involvement in the alleged plot, reiterating its support for a democratic resolution to Venezuela’s political crisis.
These arrests followed U.S. sanctions imposed two days earlier on 16 allies of Maduro, whom Washington accused of obstructing voting during Venezuela’s controversial July 28 presidential election and engaging in human rights violations.
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Spain’s parliament recently recognized opposition candidate Edmundo González as the rightful winner of the disputed election, escalating tensions between Spain and Venezuela. In response, Maduro’s government considered suspending diplomatic and commercial ties with Spain.
The Venezuelan Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner with 52% of the vote, though opposition activists challenged the result. They gathered voting data from 80% of the machines, showing González had received double the votes. Despite international outcry over the election’s transparency, Venezuela’s Supreme Court upheld Maduro’s victory in August.
Maduro has repeatedly accused the U.S. of attempting to topple his government through sanctions and covert operations. The Venezuelan government has previously leveraged imprisoned Americans to negotiate concessions from Washington, as seen in a 2023 deal where 10 Americans were released in exchange for a pardon for Alex Saab, a Maduro ally charged with money laundering.
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