The Venezuelan government has announced the arrest of two Spanish citizens who are allegedly involved in a plan to commit “terrorist” acts against Nicolas Maduro. The arrest was announced by the Minister of Interior and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, in a media intervention, although the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet confirmed it.
Venezuelan television 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 aimed at committing “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. The Venezuelan newspaper ‘El Independiente’ adds that the two detainees belong to the Spanish National Intelligence Center (CNI).
Cabello said that both were near the Puerto Ayacucho airport, “in an irregular situation,” and were “taking photos” and carrying weapons that were going to be used to “undertake fascist actions.” Venezuela accuses him of having “tried to throw a grenade” at the Argentine embassy, where six members of Vente Venezuela are staying, and then blaming the Chavista government for it.
Cabello added that such an operation is coordinated by the American intelligence services. “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 countries have been experiencing since the general elections of July 28. Since then, the Spanish government has demanded the publication of electoral records to independently verify who won the elections and announced last week the granting of political asylum to opposition leader Edmundo González, whose 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 called its representative to the Spanish capital for consultations. The Venezuelan Parliament will also urge Maduro to break off “all relations” with our country after the support of Congress, which urged the government to recognize González as the elected president of Venezuela.
