Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced live on state television on January 7 the arrest of seven foreigners, whom he called "mercenaries," who he said were trying to disrupt his inauguration as president.
Points of attention
- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the detention of a group of foreigners, including Ukrainians, who, according to him, were preparing terrorist attacks to disrupt his inauguration.
- Among those detained are two US citizens, two Colombians, and three 'mercenaries who participated in the war in Ukraine', including those involved in planning terrorist actions.
- After winning the presidential election, Nicolas Maduro found himself under sanctions from Western countries due to suspicions of holding undemocratic elections and contributing to poverty in the country.
- Post-election protests led to a crackdown by security forces and armed gangs, who were used to suppress opposition rallies.
Maduro said that the detained “mercenaries” were preparing a “terrorist attack”
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claims that those detained include two US citizens, two Colombians whom he called "killers", and three "mercenaries who participated in the war in Ukraine."
He accuses them of planning "terrorist attacks" that he claims were aimed at disrupting the inauguration scheduled for January 10.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet commented on the information about the possible presence of Ukrainian citizens among the detainees.
The news of the arrests, including of American citizens, came shortly after US President Joe Biden met with exiled Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.
Maduro wins third presidential election
On July 29, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner of the presidential election, despite accusations by the opposition of irregularities during the election.
According to the National Electoral Council, Maduro won 51% of the vote, while opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won 44%.
Maduro is isolated from Western countries and subject to US sanctions. He is accused of holding undemocratic elections and trying to plunge the country into poverty despite its oil wealth. He has also repeatedly declared his support for Russia and accused the US of invading Ukraine.
After the election, Gonzalez supporters took to the streets in protests, which led to the suppression of the actions by security forces and armed pro-government gangs.
