The United States has dismissed claims made by Venezuela that the CIA plotted to assassinate President Maduro and other top officials.
Three US citizens, two Spaniards and one Czech national have been arrested on suspicion of plotting to destabilise the country, the Interior Minister said.
Calling the detainees “mercenaries”, Diosdado Cabello claimed that the CIA “is leading the operation” and that hundreds of weapons had been seized.
The US rejected the claims, which come after Washington placed 16 senior government officials under sanctions, as “categorically false”.
A spokesperson for the State Department said a US military member was being held and noted “unconfirmed reports of two additional US citizens detained in Venezuela.”
Cabello responded by saying the detainees had contacted “French mercenaries” from Eastern Europe and were involved in “an operation to try to attack” Venezuela.
He added that “more than 400 rifles were seized” and accused the detainees of plotting “terrorist acts.”
The Venezuelan government said the Spaniards detained were linked to Madrid’s National Intelligence Centre (CNI). Spanish government sources have told local media the pair do not belong to the intelligence organisation.
“Spain denies and categorically rejects any insinuation that it is involved in a political destabilisation operation in Venezuela,” a source told AFP.
The allegations come just two days after Washington sanctioned 16 Venezuelan officials who are closely aligned with President Maduro, following his disputed election victory.
In a news conference on Saturday Cabello said: “The CIA is leading this operation, and that does not surprise us but they, the National Intelligence Centre of Spain, have always maintained a low profile knowing that the CIA operates in this area.
“These two detainees even tell us about a group of mercenaries they are looking for to bring to Venezuela with very clear objectives to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, myself, and another group of comrades who are leading our party and our revolution.”
The US has rejected the accusation it was plotting to overthrow Maduro, calling them “categorically false”.
A state department official said Washington “continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela”.
The Czech Republic has yet to react the claims.
The arrests come amid a feud between the Maduro government and the US and Spain.
Cabello said the Spaniards were detained in Puerto Ayacucho, south of the capital Caracas.
Spanish authorities have requested more information from Venezuela, with the Spanish embassy requesting access to those detained.
On Friday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil summoned Spain’s ambassador in Caracas to protest at a minister’s description of the Venezuelan government as a “dictatorship”, after days of mounting bilateral tensions.
On Thursday, the US Treasury said it was targeting “key officials involved in Maduro’s fraudulent and illegitimate claims of victory and his brutal crackdown on free expression following the election”.
Maduro was declared the winner of July’s presidential election by Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE), which is closely aligned with the government.
But the CNE has not published any detailed voting tallies supporting a Maduro victory. Data published by the opposition suggests its candidate, Edmundo González, won instead.
