T + T – Normal size
The Venezuelan government announced yesterday the arrest of three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech accused of being linked to an alleged plot to destabilize the country, noting the confiscation of about 400 rifles brought from the United States.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the six people were arrested on suspicion of planning an attack targeting President Nicolas Maduro and his government..
The arrests come amid rising tensions between Venezuela and both the United States and Spain over the disputed July 28 presidential election that the opposition accuses Maduro of rigging..
Maduro, who took over as Venezuela’s president after the death of leftist leader Hugo Chavez in 2013, insists he will win a third term, but the electoral body has not released detailed vote results..
“We know that the US government has a connection to this operation,” Cabello said.
According to the Interior Minister, “two Spanish citizens were recently arrested in Puerto Ayacucho” in the southwest of the country..
He added that three Americans and a Czech citizen were also arrested, and linked the alleged plot to intelligence agencies in the United States and Spain, as well as to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado..
“They have contacted French mercenaries, they have contacted mercenaries from Eastern Europe and they are carrying out an operation to try to attack our country,” he continued.
He announced that “more than 400 rifles were seized,” accusing the detainees of planning “terrorist acts.”
A US State Department spokesman denied Venezuela’s allegations yesterday, saying they were “absolutely false.”
The spokesman confirmed the arrest of a member of the US military in Venezuela, also noting “unconfirmed reports of the detention of other US citizens.”
Diplomatic relations between Venezuela and Spain have deteriorated significantly since Thursday, with Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles describing Venezuela as a “dictatorship.”
