The State Department has said any claims of US involvement in a plot to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro were “categorically false” after the arrests of three Americans, two Spanish citizens, and a Czech citizen on Saturday.
According to the Venezuelan government, the group was detained on suspicion of plotting to destabilize the country through “violent actions”, adding that hundreds of weapons had been seized.
CBS News reports that the Venezuelan government identified the men detained on Saturday in an online video.
One of them was identified as an American Navy sailor detained in the country earlier this month while visiting for personal reasons.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed the detention of a member of the US military.
The enlisted sailor is a petty officer first class and formerly a Navy SEAL who was assigned to a West Coast team, officials including a senior member of the Defense Department told CBS.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said in a press conference that the two Spaniards were allegedly linked to Spain’s secret service and were planning the assassination of a mayor.
Further, Cabello also accused the detained Americans and the Czech citizen of involvement in terrorist acts, including alleged plans to assassinate Maduro and other officialslinked to intelligence agencies as well as Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
“They contacted French mercenaries, they contacted mercenaries from Eastern Europe and they are in an operation to try to attack our country,” he said.
In addition to the US State Department, Spanish media reported that Spain’s government denied the allegations made against its citizens.
There are already substantial tensions with Spain and the US after Venezuela’s disputed presidential election in July.
“These groups seek to seize the country’s wealth, and we as a government will respond firmly to any destabilization attempt,” Cabello said.
He claimed that about 400 rifles originating in the US had also been seized.
A Spanish foreign ministry source told Reuters it was asking Venezuela for more information.
“The Spanish embassy has sent a verbal note to the Venezuelan government asking for access to the detained citizens in order to verify their identities and their nationality and in order to know what they are accused of exactly,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Spanish nationals were detained while taking photographs in the town of Puerto Ayacucho, Cabello said.
“These citizens have links — we know they will say no, that it is a lie — they have links with the center,” Cabello said, referring to Spain’s intelligence unit.
He added: “Spain will decide what to do, if it is going to keep meddling in Venezuela’s affairs.”
Venezuela recalled its ambassador to Spain this week for consultations and summoned the Spanish ambassador to appear at the foreign ministry after a Spanish minister accused Maduro of running a “dictatorship”, escalating diplomatic tensions following a disputed presidential election.
The Maduro regime was also angered by the decision of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to meet with Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who went into exile in Spain last week after being threatened with arrest.
Already tense relations with the US worsened after the Biden administration recognized Gonzalez as the winner of the July 28 election.
In addition, at the beginning of September, a plane belonging to Maduro was seized by the US and brought to Florida. The Justice Department said the jet was exported from Florida in violation of US sanctions.
Maduro, a former bus driver, succeeded iconic left-wing leader Hugo Chavez on his death in 2013. He insists he won a third term but failed to release detailed voting tallies to back his claim.
With reporting from Reuters