Arrests come amid surge in tensions between Caracas and Western nations over disputed Venezuelan election outcomes.
Venezuela has detained three United States residents, two Spaniards and a Czech nationwide over an alleged plot to destabilise the South American nation, a senior authorities official mentioned.
Venezuelan Minister of Inside Diosdado Cabello mentioned on Saturday that the six had been held on suspicion of planning an assault in opposition to President Nicolas Maduro and his authorities.
The arrests come as tensions have skyrocketed in latest weeks between Venezuela and the US, Spain and different Western nations over a disputed Venezuelan election held in late July.
Maduro, who has been in energy since 2013, was declared the winner of the vote, however the nation’s opposition has mentioned the competition was marred by fraud and that its candidate had defeated the longtime president.
The election outcomes spurred large opposition protests, leaving greater than two dozen folks useless and practically 200 injured.
Throughout a information convention on Saturday, Cabello accused the 2 detained Spanish nationals of getting alleged hyperlinks to Spain’s secret service and planning the assassination of a mayor.
The pair had been detained whereas taking pictures within the city of Puerto Ayacucho, the minister mentioned.
Spanish media reported that Spain’s authorities denied this declare.
Cabello additionally accused three US residents and a Czech nationwide of involvement in “terrorist” acts, together with alleged plans to assassinate Maduro and different officers.
“These teams search to grab the nation’s wealth, and we as a authorities will reply firmly to any destabilisation try,” Cabello mentioned.
He added that about 400 rifles originating within the US had been seized.
A spokesperson for the US State Division advised the Reuters information company that “a US navy member” had been detained in Venezuela and that it was conscious of unconfirmed stories of two further Americans being detained there.
However the State Division mentioned the US was not concerned in an try to oust Maduro.
“Any claims of US involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false,” the spokesperson mentioned. “America continues to help a democratic answer to the political disaster in Venezuela.”
Venezuela recalled its ambassador to Spain this week for consultations and summoned the Spanish ambassador to seem on the Ministry of Overseas Affairs after a Spanish minister accused Maduro of operating a “dictatorship”.
Venezuela was additionally angered by the choice of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to satisfy with Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, who went into exile in Spain final week after being threatened with arrest by Maduro’s authorities.
Caracas has additionally had new tensions with Washington, which recognised Gonzalez because the winner of the July 28 election.
The US additionally imposed new sanctions on Venezuela earlier this week.
