Venezuela’s interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, has announced the arrest of a fourth U.S. citizen in connection with an alleged plot to kill President Nicolás Maduro.
The unnamed individual was apprehended in Caracas on Tuesday while reportedly photographing electrical and oil infrastructure, along with military units, according to Cabello’s speech to the National Assembly.
“Those who try to mess with Venezuela, we will screw them, regardless of their name,” Cabello stated, adding that the individual has previously visited Venezuela.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department acknowledges unconfirmed reports of the arrest but is unable to provide further comment.
The State Department has declared its ability to provide assistance to U.S. citizens in Venezuela is severely limited and it is actively seeking additional information.
Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela have escalated in recent times, with the Biden Administration initially easing sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry and other sectors in late 2023, but by April 2024 the administration had revoked most sanctions relief due to Maduro officials’ undemocratic actions. These actions include barring opposition primary winner Maria Corina Machado from running. Venezuela had also deported individuals from the U.S. and Mexico earlier this year.
This arrest comes just days after Cabello claimed three Americans, two Spaniards, and a Czech had been detained for allegedly attempting to assassinate Maduro and topple the Venezuelan government, Reuters reported.
The Associated Press identified one of the American detainees as Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez, a member of the Navy.
Cabello accuses the CIA, Spain’s intelligence agency, organized crime groups, sex workers, and members of the opposition of orchestrating the plot against Maduro, following his victory in July that was marred by allegations of fraud.
During a press conference on Saturday, Cabello asserted that 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 declared, adding that officials had seized approximately 400 rifles originating from the U.S.
The State Department refutes these allegations, with a spokesperson telling 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 stated.
While Venezuelan officials declared Maduro the winner in July, Secretary of State Antony Blinken asserted last month that “overwhelming evidence” indicated Maduro’s opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez had secured the most votes.
Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, comprised of Maduro loyalists, declared Maduro the winner of a third six-year term, but failed to provide a detailed breakdown of the results.
Opposition members, however, surprised the government by acquiring tally sheets from 80% of the nation’s electronic voting machines and publishing them online. They claim these tally sheets demonstrate 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 severe postelection repression of protesters, activists, and opposition leaders.
Following the attorney general’s issuance of 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 alleged roles in 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 Russian-built Antonov An-124 Ruslan cargo plane in the Dominican Republic. The aircraft was acquired through a shell company in violation of sanctions laws and export controls, according to officials.
’ Landon Mion and