Venezuela has taken five more foreigners into custody (three from the US‚ one from Peru and one from Bolivia) over their supposed involvement in a scheme to unsettle the nation. The countrys interior minister Diosdado Cabello made this announcement on 10/17/24
No proof was given to back up these claims or the alleged connection to terrorist activities. As in previous cases Cabello suggested without evidence that US intelligence agencies were behind these actions
This follows a similar announcement made about a month ago‚ where several foreigners were accused of plotting to kill President Nicolás Maduro. That declaration came shortly after the US put sanctions on 16 of Maduroʼs allies
The detentions are happening in the wake of a disputed presidential election held on 7/28/24. While ruling party-aligned officials declared Maduro the winner‚ the opposition coalition claims their candidate Edmundo González won by a large margin
Venezuelas government has previously used imprisoned Americans as bargaining chips. Last year‚ they exchanged 10 Americans and a US-wanted fugitive for Alex Saab - a close Maduro ally who was held in Florida on money-laundering charges
The Maduro administration has previously used Americans imprisoned in Venezuela to gain concessions from the U.S. government
Its worth noting that according to US prosecutors‚ Saab had helped Maduro avoid US Treasury sanctions through a complex network of shell companies