3 months ago
20
Venezuelan police
arrested 6 people, including 3 Americans, on suspicion of plotting to attack President
Nicolas Maduro
and to destabilise Venezuela through "violent actions," the government said on Saturday.
Interior minister Diosdado Cabello said that the arrests of the other two Spaniards, and a Czech citizen, were made in connection with an alleged plan to attack President Nicolas Maduro and his government and that hundreds of weapons had been seized, AFP news agency reported.
The arrests occur amidst heightened tensions between Venezuela and both the US and Spain following the disputed July 28 presidential election, which the opposition accuses Maduro of stealing. Maduro insists he won a third term but has not released detailed voting tallies to support his claim.
Cabello asserted that the US government has links to the alleged operation and accused the detainees of plotting "terrorist acts."
The situation has led to a deepening standoff between Maduro and Western powers. Tensions with Spain escalated after Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia went into exile in Spain following threats of arrest.
Venezuela
recalled its ambassador to Madrid for consultations and summoned Spain's envoy after a Spanish minister accused Maduro of running a "dictatorship." The US, which recognized Gonzalez Urrutia as the winner of the election, announced new sanctions against 16 Venezuelan officials for impeding a transparent electoral process.
Maduro's claim to victory in the election sparked mass opposition protests, resulting in at least 27 deaths, 192 injuries, and approximately 2,400 arrests, including numerous teenagers. The opposition published polling station-level results, which they claim show Gonzalez Urrutia winning by a landslide, reported AFP news agency.
Despite similar accusations of fraud in the 2018 election, Maduro has managed to cling to power with the support of the military and other institutions, even in the face of international sanctions. His tenure since 2013 has seen a significant decline in Venezuela's economy, prompting millions of citizens to migrate.
