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Two Spanish nationals arrested in Venezuela with Spanish secret service links

16/9/2024 6:04
        Two Spanish nationals
        arrested in Venezuela had no links to the Spanish secret service
        and Spain was not involved in any plan to politically
        destabilize the South American country, a Spanish foreign
        ministry source said on Sunday.
        
        Two Spaniards, three U.S. citizens and a Czech citizen were
        arrested in Venezuela on suspicion of links to an alleged plot
        to undermine President Nicolas Maduro's government, Venezuela's
        interior minister said on Saturday.
        
        "Spain denies and absolutely rejects any insinuation of
        being implicated in an operation of political destabilization in
        Venezuela," the Spanish foreign ministry source said.
        
        "The government has confirmed that the (two Spanish
        citizens) detained do not form part of the Centre for National
        Intelligence or any state organisation. Spain defends a
        democratic and peaceful solution to the situation in Venezuela."
        
        The arrests are likely to deepen Venezuela's already tense
        relations with Spain and the United States after a disputed
        presidential election in July.
        
        Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello told a press
        conference on Saturday that two Spaniards were allegedly linked
        to Spain's secret service and were planning the assassination of
        a mayor.
        
        He named the Spaniards as José María Basoa and Andrés
        Martínez Adasne. Photographs of the men were shown on state
        television.
        
        The father of Adasne, Andrés Martínez, told El Mundo
        newspaper on Sunday his son did not work for the Spanish secret
        service.
        
        "My son does not work for the CNI, of course not. We are
        waiting for information from the consulate and embassy. We still
        do not know what they are accused of or the reason for their
        arrest," he said.
        
        Cabello also accused three U.S. citizens and a Czech of
        involvement in terrorist acts, including alleged plans to
        assassinate Maduro and other officials.
        
        The U.S. State Department said on Saturday that "any claims
        of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are
        categorically false".
        
        The State Department spokesperson also confirmed that a
        "member of the U.S. military" was being held and noted
        "unconfirmed reports of two additional U.S. citizens detained in
        Venezuela".
        
        The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, called
        Maduro's government "dictatorial" during an interview with
        Spanish television channel Telecinco on Sunday.
        
        On Saturday, a Spanish foreign ministry source told Reuters
        it was asking Venezuela for more information.
        
        "The Spanish embassy has sent a verbal note to the
        Venezuelan government asking for access to the detained citizens
        in order to verify their identities and their nationality and in
        order to know what they are accused of exactly," the source
        said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
        
        The Spanish nationals were detained while taking photographs
        in the town of Puerto Ayacucho, Cabello said.
        
        Venezuela recalled its ambassador to Spain last week for
        consultations and summoned the Spanish ambassador to appear at
        the foreign ministry after a Spanish minister accused Maduro of
        running a "dictatorship".
        
        Caracas was also angered by Spanish Prime
        Minister Pedro Sanchez' decision to meet Venezuelan opposition
        candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who went into exile in Spain
        last week after being threatened with arrest.
        
        Tensions between Venezuela and the United States have also
        intensified after Washington recognised Gonzalez Urrutia as the
        winner of the July 28 election.
        



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