• The US and Spain have denied allegations of involvement.
• The detainees were accused of plotting “terrorist acts” and seized “more than 400 rifles.”
• Tensions escalated after opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia went into exile in Spain.

Venezuelan authorities have detained three Americans, two Spaniards, and a Czech citizen on suspicion of plotting to destabilize the country. Both the United States and Spain have denied Venezuela’s allegations of involvement. The arrests occur amid escalating tensions between Venezuela and these nations following the disputed July 28 presidential election, which the opposition claims President Nicolas Maduro stole.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced Saturday that authorities are holding the foreign nationals on suspicion of planning an attack against President Maduro and his government.

“We know that the United States government has links to this operation,” Cabello asserted.

Cabello stated that authorities recently detained two Spaniards in Puerto Ayacucho, located in the southwest. He also revealed that three Americans and a Czech national were arrested, linking the alleged plot to intelligence agencies in the United States and Spain, as well as to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

Maduro has repeatedly blamed the “imperialist” United States for the challenges his country faces, accusing it of conspiring with his Venezuelan opponents to overthrow him. A State Department spokesperson firmly denied the accusations on Saturday, stating that “any claims of US involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false.”

The State Department spokesperson confirmed that a US military member was being held and noted “unconfirmed reports of two additional US citizens detained in Venezuela.” Spain also rejected the allegations of its involvement.

“Spain denies and categorically rejects any insinuation that it is involved in a political destabilization operation in Venezuela,” a foreign ministry source told the news.

Cabello stated that the detainees had “contacted French mercenaries and mercenaries from Eastern Europe, and were involved in an operation to attack our country.” He also reported that authorities had seized “more than 400 rifles” and accused the detainees of plotting “terrorist acts.” The Czech Republic has yet to respond to these sensational claims, which come amid a growing standoff between Maduro and Western powers.

Maduro, who succeeded the iconic left-wing leader Hugo Chavez after his death in 2013, insists he won a third term but has not released detailed voting tallies to support his claim. Tensions between Caracas and former colonial power Spain escalated sharply after Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, 75, went into exile in Spain a week ago following threats of arrest.

On Thursday, Caracas recalled its ambassador to Madrid for consultations and summoned Spain’s envoy to Venezuela for talks after a Spanish minister accused Maduro of running a “dictatorship.” Venezuela also expressed anger over Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s decision to meet with Gonzalez Urrutia and warned Spain against any “interference” in its affairs.

Caracas has also been engaged in a war of words with the United States, which recognized Gonzalez Urrutia as the election winner. On Thursday, Washington announced new sanctions against 16 Venezuelan officials, including members of the electoral authority, for obstructing “a transparent electoral process” and failing to publish accurate results.

Venezuela condemned the measures as a “crime of aggression,” and Maduro honored four military officers among those targeted by the sanctions. Maduro’s claim of winning a third term in office triggered mass opposition protests, resulting in at least 27 deaths and 192 injuries.

The opposition published polling station-level results, claiming they showed Gonzalez Urrutia winning by a landslide. Authorities arrested about 2,400 people, including numerous teens, during the unrest.

Opposition leader Machado called for more protests on September 28, two months after the election, to demand international recognition of Gonzalez Urrutia as president. Maduro also claimed victory in the 2018 election amid widespread accusations of fraud.

With the support of the military and other institutions, Maduro has managed to cling to power despite international sanctions. Since 2013, his tenure has seen GDP drop 80 percent over a decade, prompting more than seven million of the country’s 30 million citizens to emigrate.

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