Three Americans among latest to be detained in Venezuela over alleged anti-government plot

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela detained five more foreigners, including three U.S. citizens, for their alleged connection to a plot to destabilize the country, the interior minister announced Thursday, marking the latest round of arrests for what authorities have characterized as anti-government activities following the disputed July presidential election.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello did not provide proof to back the allegations that the detainees were linked to terrorist activities. As in similar previous announcements, he also claimed without showing any evidence that U.S. intelligence agencies planned the activities.

Cabello did not say when the five people were detained. He said a Peruvian and a Bolivian citizen were taken into custody along with the three Americans. He said all ''speak Spanish perfectly'' and traveled to to the country claiming to be ''in love with Venezuela'' and planning ''to see their partner.''

Last month, Cabello announced the arrests of three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech citizen whom he accused of traveling to Venezuela to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro. Cabello said the foreign citizens were part of a CIA-led plot to overthrow the Venezuelan government and kill several members of its leadership.

The mid-September announcement came two days after the U.S. imposed sanctions on 16 allies of Maduro whom the Biden administration accused of obstructing voting during the July 28 presidential election and carrying out human rights abuses.

Ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declared Maduro the victor hours after polls closed, but they did not publish a breakdown of results as they had done in previous presidential elections. They claimed they could not release the detailed information because their website was hacked.

The main opposition coalition, however, secured tally sheets from more than 80% of voting machines and published them online. The coalition said the records showed its candidate, Edmundo González, defeated Maduro by a 2-to-1 margin.

The Maduro administration has previously used Americans imprisoned in Venezuela to gain concessions from the U.S. government. In a deal conducted last year with the Biden administration, Maduro released 10 Americans and a fugitive wanted by the U.S. government to secure a presidential pardon for Alex Saab, a close Maduro ally who was held in Florida on money laundering charges.

According to U.S. prosecutors, Saab had also helped Maduro to avoid U.S. Treasury sanctions through a complex network of shell companies.

''The safety and security of American citizens anywhere around the world is our first priority, and we're going to gather more information about this in the hours ahead,'' U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters referring to Cabello's Thursday announcement.