A fourth US citizen has been arrested in Venezuela for an alleged plot to kill President Nicolás Maduro. The citizen was detained in Caracas, taking photos of various infrastructure, and military units. The US has imposed sanctions against Maduro’s associates due to antidemocratic actions. Earlier this year, Venezuela stopped accepting flights of migrants deported from the US and Mexico. The arrest comes after three Americans, two Spaniards, and a Czech were apprehended for attempting to assassinate Maduro and overthrow the government. Diosdado Cabello, the country’s interior minister, accuses the CIA, Spain’s intelligence agency, organized crime groups, sex workers, and opposition members of being behind the plot.
During a press conference, Cabello stated that the detainees were allegedly linked to plans to overthrow Maduro and other officials. Allegations that the groups seek to seize the country’s wealth have been refuted by the State Department. The US denies involvement in any plot to overthrow Maduro, maintaining support for a democratic solution in Venezuela. The Congressional Research Service has reported that Maduro officials enforced election results with post-election repression of protesters, activists, and opposition leaders. The US has imposed financial sanctions on 16 Maduro officials for their role in electoral fraud and repression. The officials impeded transparency in the electoral process and the release of accurate election results.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that there is overwhelming evidence that Maduro’s opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, won the most votes in the contentious July election. Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, which is loyal to Maduro, declared him the winner of a third six-year term. However, the opposition collected tally sheets showing that Gonzalez had received twice as many votes as Maduro. The Venezuelan government issued an arrest warrant for Gonzalez on terrorism charges, leading him to flee into exile. The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed financial sanctions on Maduro officials involved in electoral fraud and repression.
Earlier this month, the US seized a plane owned by Maduro in the Dominican Republic, which had been acquired through a straw company in violation of sanctions laws. The State Department has said that any claims of US involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are false. Cabello has claimed that the CIA, Spain’s intelligence agency, and other groups were behind the alleged plot to take out Maduro following his disputed election win. The State Department has expressed constraints in providing assistance to US citizens in Venezuela and is seeking more information on the recent arrests. The Biden Administration had initially eased sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry but rolled them back due to antidemocratic actions by Maduro officials.
The arrest of a fourth US citizen in Venezuela is just one incident in a series of incidents involving alleged plots against President Nicolás Maduro. The country has been dealing with political turmoil and allegations of electoral fraud following Maduro’s disputed election win. Despite US sanctions and condemnations of Maduro’s government, tensions between the two nations remain high. The situation in Venezuela is complex, with accusations of foreign intervention, attempts at regime change, and ongoing repression of opposition members. The Biden Administration continues to seek a democratic solution to the political crisis in the country, but challenges remain in building a stable and democratic future for Venezuela.
