2 Americans Arrested in Venezuela on Maduro’s Inauguration Night Over ‘Terrorism’ Claims

Two US citizens have been arrested in Venezuela on charges that are not yet clear, but President Nicolas Maduro said on Tuesday that they were related to the intent to “commit terrorism.”

Maduro said “high-ranking” Americans he called “soldiers” were part of a group of seven arrested, although he did not provide evidence or details of the arrests.

“Today we have captured seven foreign soldiers, including two important United States soldiers,” Maduro said, according to a Reuters report.

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Maduro – who is expected to be re-elected on Friday for a third term despite disputed July election results – said two Colombians and three Ukrainians had been arrested.

He reportedly said his security forces arrested 125 foreign security guards from 25 countries who he said had entered the country with the intention of “carrying out terrorism against the Venezuelan people.”

A State Department spokesperson completely dismissed Maduro’s claims and told Fox News Digital, “Any allegations of US involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are completely false.”

“The United States continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela. As Maduro and his allies have shown in the past, they may arrest and imprison, without reason or due process, US citizens entering Venezuela,” the spokesman added. .

The identities of those arrested have not been released due to “privacy and other considerations.”

Although a spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the department is “working to gather more information” and remains “concerned” about Americans detained in Venezuela.

Opposition president Edmundo Gonzalez leads a protest against the election results that declared Nicolas Maduro the winner, in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

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It is unclear how many Americans are imprisoned in Venezuela following a major prisoner exchange in 2023 when Washington and Caracas negotiated the release of dozens of prisoners, including 10 Americans, in exchange for Colombian businessman Alex Saab, a close ally of Maduro.

His comments coincided with the visit to DC of the presidential candidate of the opposition party, Edmundo Gonzalez, who once enthusiastically supported Washington, who has been announced as the president-elect in many countries, including the US.

On Monday, President Biden reiterated the US position on the results of the election – which Maduro-affiliated courts declared a victory for the soon-to-be three-term president – and called Gonzalez the “true winner” of the election. July race.

Venezuelan officials have refused to release ballot box results to support their claims of victory, and Gonzalez’s team has reportedly published thousands of scanned copies of voting machine results collected by ballot box observers in the days following the election – which reportedly accounted for 80% of the vote. actors who showed victory to the leader of the opposition.

Maduro’s allegations of a US-backed coup plot increased in the weeks following his internationally contested election and in September the Venezuelan leader issued claims that the CIA was plotting to overthrow his government and said 400 guns and a Navy SEAL had been seized. you are arrested.

Isaias Medina, Venezuela’s former diplomat at the United Nations, said Maduro’s recent arrest and comments “are consistent with his ‘hostage negotiations.'”

Government loyalists hold a poster of former President Hugo Chavez during a rally in support of Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, August 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

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“These allegations, which are considered baseless, appear to be another ploy to divert attention from the illegal inauguration of Maduro and suppress dissent ahead of the expected protests,” Medina told Fox News Digital. “By including foreigners in these allegations, Maduro seeks to fuel fear of foreign interference while creating convenient scapegoats for his failing leadership and attempting to legitimize state terrorism.

“The timing of these cases raises concerns about Maduro’s broader strategy,” he added. “Furthermore, the allegation of the theater proves the suppression of the protests of the opposition groups, threatening the people of Venezuela into silence as the country sinks deeper into economic and humanitarian crises.

“These actions underscore the lengths to which Maduro will go to govern, despite rising domestic discontent and growing demands for accountability around the world,” Medina said.

The State Department has designated Venezuela as a Level 4 “no-go” area because of the security threats Americans face there.