Venezuela has detained three Americans on charges of plotting to “destabilize” the nation through “violent actions.” Venezuelan authorities claim that these individuals were involved in planning an attack on President Nicolas Maduro and his government.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello disclosed that the arrested group also includes two Spaniards and a Czech national. Authorities reportedly found 400 rifles linked to the alleged plot. Among the Americans detained was a Navy sailor, who was in Venezuela for personal reasons earlier this month.
Cabello alleged that the detained individuals had ties to intelligence agencies in their home countries. He also accused Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado of providing evidence that Maduro lost the disputed July 28 election to Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.
These arrests come in the wake of U.S. sanctions targeting Venezuelan officials involved in election fraud. The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 16 members of Venezuela’s National Electoral Council and Supreme Tribunal of Justice, accusing them of human rights abuses and censorship.
Moreover, the State Department has introduced visa restrictions on 2,000 individuals suspected of supporting Maduro and participating in election fraud, further straining U.S.-Venezuela relations.
