Venezuela's Edmundo González Urrutia, whose opposition claims he defeated incumbent Nicolas Maduro in July's presidential election, said his son-in-law was detained by “hooded men” in Caracas. .
“This morning my son-in-law Rafael Tudares was kidnapped,” González posted on Tuesday's X.
“Rafael was on his way to drop off his grandchildren at school for the start of class when he was grabbed by hooded men dressed in black, put into a gold van with license plate AA54E2C, and taken away. .”
The Venezuelan government on Monday criticized Joe Biden's meeting with González, who is on an international tour to pressure President Maduro to relinquish power.
The 62-year-old has ruled the oil-rich country for more than a decade, maintaining an iron grip on power with the help of police, paramilitary forces and the military.
Mr. Maduro claimed victory in the July polls after the National Electoral Council (CNE), backed by state institutions loyal to Mr. Maduro, did not release results data.
Opposition parties claimed that polling station-level data showed González won the election in a landslide.
More than 20 people were killed and nearly 200 injured in the violence that followed President Maduro's declaration of election victory in July.
A further 2,400 people were arrested in the crackdown, and authorities said this week that around 1,500 people had since been released. Human rights groups have questioned this figure.
González, 75, fled to Spain in September and vowed to return to his home country to take the oath.
Maduro is scheduled to be sworn in for a third six-year term on Friday.
Maduro's government has vowed to deal harshly with future protests and threatened to jail González if he keeps his promise to return to Venezuela. Last week, authorities offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
