The Venezuelan government has announced the arrest of two Spanish citizens whom it accuses of being involved in a plan to commit “terrorist” acts against Nicolas Maduro. The Chavista regime has assured that the two detained Spaniards “have links” with the Spanish National Intelligence Center (CNI), although the government has denied this information, according to EFE. The arrest was announced by the Minister of Interior and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, and could further aggravate the situation. the diplomatic crisis that the two countries are going through.
Sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also assured elDiario.es that the Spanish embassy had sent a note to the Venezuelan government requesting access to the detainees “in order to verify their identity and nationality.” In the case of confirmation that they are Spanish citizens, the Foreign Affairs asks to know “what exactly they are accused of and if they can receive all the necessary assistance.” The ministry headed by José Luis Albares adds that “it will ensure at all times the protection and rights of any Spaniard detained in Venezuela.”
The Maduro regime assured that during the operation, more than 400 weapons “transported from the United States” were seized, and some of those captured were seeking to bring “a group of mercenaries” to Venezuela with the aim of assassinating Maduro, as well as the Executive Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, and other leaders of Chavismo.
Venezuelan state television VTV broadcast images of the two detainees along with their names and passport numbers. According to Cabello, two Americans, another Czech citizen and a Venezuelan woman were also arrested, involved in an alleged operation to commit “terrorist” acts.
“Two Spanish citizens, José María Basoa and Andrés Martínez Adasne, were arrested in Puerto Ayacucho,” Cabello said. Venezuela claims to have found on his phone links with citizens opposed to Vente Venezuela and questions about how to buy explosives, and that they were preparing the assassination of the mayor of Upata.
Cabello said that both were near the airport in Puerto Ayacucho, capital of the state of Amazonas (in the south of the country, on the border with Colombia and Brazil), “in an irregular situation” and “taking photos”, as well as carrying weapons that were going to be used to “carry out fascist actions”. Venezuela accuses them of having “tried to throw a grenade” at the Argentine embassy, where six members of Vente Venezuela are staying, and then blames the Chavista government for it.
According to the minister, the authorities found on the detainees' phones information about their contacts with a regional “leader” of the Vente Venezuela (VV) party, to whom they asked “how they buy explosives” and “contact groups that “would like to do special work.”
Behind the arms “trafficking,” Cabello said, is the former Caracas police commissioner, Iván Simonovis, who – he assured – has “direct” links in Venezuela with the leaders of the majority opposition, among whom he mentioned María Corina Machado, main supporter of the former presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, exiled since September 8 in Spain.
The minister demanded that the US government, which he has repeatedly accused of being “behind this operation”, clarify “the use of its territory for arms trafficking” in order to “overthrow a democratic government, elected by its people” in the presidential elections on July 28.
Cabello added that such an operation is coordinated by the American intelligence services of the CIA. “The United States government is linked because, during the investigation, we discovered that the FBI was present in these parcel services. Did they take weapons? Did they take prisoners? No, they allowed this operation to continue,” Cabello added.
The arrest of the two Spanish citizens represents the latest development in the diplomatic crisis that the two nations have been going through for the general elections of July 28th. Since then, the Spanish government has demanded the publication of electoral records in order to independently verify who won the election and announced last week grant political asylum to opposition leader Edmundo Gonzálezwhose victory was claimed by many countries in the international community.
González arrived in Spain last weekend and, a few days later, Venezuela summoned the Spanish ambassador in Caracas and summoned his representative to the Spanish capital for consultationsThe Venezuelan Parliament will also urge Maduro to break off “all relations” with our country after the support from Congress, which urged the government to recognize Gonzalezas elected president of Venezuela.