Venezuela says fourth US citizen arrested in alleged plot to kill President Maduro
Fox News
A fourth U.S. citizen has been arrested in Venezuela in connection with an alleged plot to kill President Nicolás Maduro, according to the country’s interior minister, Diosdado Cabello.
The citizen, who has not been named, was detained Tuesday in the capital, Caracas, while taking photos of electrical and oil-industry infrastructure as well as military units, Cabello said during a speech before the National Assembly, whose members applauded the detention.
“Those who try to mess with Venezuela, we will screw them, regardless of their name,” Cabello said. “It is not the first time he has come to Venezuela.”
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A State Department spokesperson tells Fox News Digital that it is aware of unconfirmed reports of an additional arrest in Venezuela but is unable to make further comment.
The State Department says its ability to provide assistance to U.S. citizens in Venezuela is severely constrained and it is working diligently for additional information.
Relations between the U.S. and Venezuela have been frosty in recent times, with the Biden Administration easing sanctions on its oil industry and other sectors in late 2023, but by April 2024 the administration had rolled back most sanctions relief due to Maduro officials’ antidemocratic actions, including barring opposition primary winner Maria Corina Machado from running. Earlier this year, Venezuela stopped accepting flights of migrants deported from the U.S. and Mexico.
The arrest comes just days after Cabello said three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech had been detained for trying to assassinate Maduro and overthrow the Venezuelan government, Reuters reported.
The Associated Press identified the American service member as Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez, a member of the Navy.
Cabello is accusing the CIA, Spain’s intelligence agency, organized crime groups, sex workers and members of the opposition of being behind the plot to take out Maduro following his disputed election win in July which was marred by allegations of fraud.
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During a press conference on Saturday, Cabello said the detainees were allegedly linked to plans to assassinate Maduro and other officials.
“These groups seek to seize the country’s wealth, and we as a government will respond firmly to any destabilization attempt,” Cabello said, adding that officials seized about 400 rifles originating in the U.S.
The State Department denies the allegations with a spokesperson telling Fox News Digital that “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 spokesperson said.
While Maduro was declared the winner in July by Venezuelan officials, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month there was “overwhelming evidence” Maduro’s opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez secured the most votes.
Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, said Maduro won a third six-year term, but it did not provide a detailed breakdown of the results.
Members of the opposition, however, surprised the government by collecting tally sheets from 80% of the nation’s electronic voting machines and publishing them online. The tally sheets, they said, indicate that former diplomat Edmundo González won the election with twice as many votes as Maduro.
According to the Congressional Research Service, a public policy research institute of Congress, Maduro officials have enforced the election results they claim through harsh postelection repression of protesters, activists, and opposition leaders.
After the attorney general issued an arrest warrant accusing González of terrorism, he fled into exile. In response, on Sept. 12, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed financial sanctions on 16 Maduro officials for their role in either electoral fraud or repression.
“These officials impeded a transparent electoral process and the release of accurate election results,” Blinken said in a statement.
“Rather than respecting the will of the Venezuelan people as expressed at the ballot box, Maduro and his representatives have falsely claimed victory while repressing and intimidating the democratic opposition in an illegitimate attempt to cling to power by force.”
Earlier this month, the U.S. seized a plane owned by Maduro in the Dominican Republic, after it was purchased through a straw company in violation of sanctions laws and export controls, officials said.
Fox News’ Landon Mion and the Associated Press contributed to this report.