The Venezuelan government has arrested three Americans on suspicion of plotting to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro and destroy the country, as conspiracy allegations remain rife in the region.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced on Saturday that three Americans, two Spaniards and one Czech national had been arrested for plotting attacks to “destabilize” President Maduro and his government with “acts of violence,” adding that the government had seized hundreds of weapons. This was reported by Agence France-Presse..
Cabello did not say when the six were arrested, but claimed that “the operation is being carried out by the CIA and the Spanish CNI.” According to Spanish media reports,.
He said two Spaniards had been recently detained in the southwestern city of Puerto Ayacucho, and claimed they were searching for mercenaries with the “very clear objective” of assassinating President Maduro.
“We know that the US government is involved in this operation,” Cabello claimed.
“They are in contact with French and Eastern European mercenaries and are carrying out operations to attack our country,” he continued, adding that “more than 400 US-made rifles have been seized.”
He also accused the detainees of plotting “terrorist acts.”
Cabello said three Americans and a Czech national were also arrested and that U.S. and Spanish intelligence agencies, as well as Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, had been informed of their links to the alleged plot, the media reported.
The United States, Spain and the Czech Republic have yet to respond to the allegations.
The arrests come amid rising tensions between the United States and Spain over Venezuela's July presidential election, which the country's opposition accused Maduro of rigging after he failed to release detailed vote tallies to back up his claimed victory over Edmundo Gonzalez.
Washington on Thursday imposed sanctions on 16 Venezuelan allies of President Maduro for disrupting the vote and hindering a “transparent electoral process” by not publishing accurate results.
The South American country rejected the measures as “crimes of aggression” and President Maduro awarded four military officers among those subject to sanctions.
Caracas this week recalled its ambassador in Madrid for consultations and summoned the Spanish ambassador to Venezuela for consultations after a Spanish minister accused Maduro of running a “dictatorship,” the media reported.
Tensions are also rising as Caracas is engaged in political maneuvering with the United States, which has recognized Gonzalez as the election winner.
Venezuela was also outraged by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's decision to meet with Gonzalez and warned Spain against any “interference” in Venezuela's affairs.
