Additional Coverage:
On Saturday, Venezuelan authorities arrested three Americans, two Spaniards, and a Czech national, alleging they had come to Venezuela with the intent to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro.
Diosdado Cabello, the influential interior minister of Venezuela, announced the arrests on state television. Cabello accused the foreign nationals of being part of a CIA-led scheme aimed at overthrowing the Venezuelan government and assassinating key leaders. During the broadcast, Cabello displayed images of rifles he claimed were seized from the individuals involved in the alleged plot.
Among the arrested Americans was Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez, identified by Cabello as a Navy SEAL with service history in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Colombia. The Spanish embassy in Venezuela did not respond to inquiries about the detention of its nationals.
The U.S. State Department confirmed the detention of a U.S. military member late Saturday and noted it was aware of “unconfirmed reports of two additional U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela.”
They firmly denied any U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro, stating, “Any claims of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false. The United States continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela.”
The arrests were made public just two days after the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on 16 of Maduro’s allies, accusing them of obstructing the controversial July 28 Venezuelan presidential election and committing human rights abuses.
Earlier this week, Spain’s parliament recognized opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the rightful victor of the election, infuriating Maduro’s supporters, who then urged the Venezuelan government to sever commercial and diplomatic ties with Spain.
Tensions have also escalated between Venezuela and the U.S. following the disputed election, which led to widespread protests and the arrest of hundreds of opposition activists.
Venezuela’s Electoral Council, which backs the Maduro administration, declared Maduro the winner with 52% of the vote but did not provide a detailed breakdown. Opposition activists, however, published tally sheets from 80% of voting machines, suggesting Gonzalez had double the votes of Maduro.
Despite international criticism concerning the election’s transparency, Venezuela’s supreme court, known for its support of Maduro, confirmed his victory in August. Subsequently, Venezuela’s attorney general filed conspiracy charges against Gonzalez, prompting him to flee to Spain to avoid arrest.
Maduro has dismissed calls from multiple countries, including Colombia and Brazil, to provide evidence supporting his election victory, maintaining his long-standing claim that the U.S. seeks to overthrow him using sanctions and covert operations.
Previously, the Maduro government has used imprisoned Americans as leverage with the U.S. Last year, a deal was brokered with the Biden administration in which Maduro released 10 Americans and a fugitive wanted by the U.S. in exchange for a presidential pardon for Alex Saab, a close ally who was charged with money laundering in Florida. U.S. prosecutors accused Saab of aiding Maduro in evading Treasury sanctions using a network of shell companies.