Arrests in Venezuela: Alleged Assassination Plot Against Maduro Unveiled

Venezuelan officials arrested three Americans, two Spaniards, and a Czech citizen, accusing them of a CIA-led plot to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro. The arrests, announced by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, follow increased US-Venezuelan tensions and new US sanctions on Maduro's allies. International condemnation and disputes over the recent election results intensify the political crisis.

Three Americans, two Spaniards, and a Czech citizen were arrested on Saturday after Venezuelan officials accused them of attempting to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro. The arrests were announced on state television by Diosdado Cabello, the powerful Interior Minister of the nation.

Cabello alleged that the foreign citizens were part of a CIA-led operation to overthrow the Venezuelan government and eliminate key members of its leadership. He displayed images of confiscated rifles purportedly linked to the plotters and identified one of the arrested Americans as Navy Seal Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez, who had served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Colombia.

In response, the US State Department confirmed the detention of a US military member but denied any involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro. The announcement of the arrests follows the US Treasury's recent sanctions on 16 of Maduro's allies for obstructing voting during the disputed July 28 presidential election. Amid international condemnation, tensions between the US and Venezuela continue to escalate.

(With inputs from agencies.)