Seven foreign nationals, including three Ukrainian mercenaries, were apprehended in Venezuela for allegedly plotting acts of violence against the nation’s leadership, according to President Nicolás Maduro.
President Nicolás Maduro announced the arrest of seven foreign mercenaries, among them Ukrainians and Americans, accused of planning attacks against Venezuela’s government. He specified the group included two Colombian hitmen captured in separate locations and three Ukrainian mercenaries who, he claimed, arrived from the Ukrainian conflict intending to instigate violence within Venezuela. Two high-ranking US citizens were also detained and described as significant mercenaries.
Maduro refrained from disclosing further details about the detainees and did not explicitly confirm whether they were operating as a coordinated group.
According to Maduro, the arrested individuals planned attacks targeting revolutionary leaders, using the terminology of Bolivarian socialism.
He asserted that Venezuela thwarted these plans, urging citizens to remain vigilant. A total of 125 foreign mercenaries from 25 countries have been apprehended, all allegedly intending to commit acts of terrorism against the Venezuelan people, Maduro stated.
This announcement follows heightened tensions between Maduro’s government and opposition forces led by Edmundo González, who has rejected Maduro’s July election victory.
González called upon the Venezuelan military to recognize him as commander-in-chief and remove Maduro from power, ahead of Maduro’s upcoming inauguration.
González, who sought and received asylum in Spain after fleeing Venezuela, is the subject of an arrest warrant on charges of terrorism, conspiracy, and other election-related offenses, all of which he denies.
The US, consistently at odds with Maduro’s government, has provided backing to the Venezuelan opposition. In November, the US recognized González as Venezuela’s “president-elect” and intensified sanctions against Venezuela, targeting officials accused of electoral fraud.
In response, Venezuela enacted legislation imposing 25- to 30-year prison sentences for individuals facilitating coercive measures against the country.