Five Americans arrested in Venezuela in alleged CIA plot against Maduro

Five Americans have been arrested in a sweep launched by Venezuela’s socialist regime to dismantle what the government claims is mercenary force assembled by the CIA and Spain’s intelligence service to topple strongman Nicolás Maduro.

According to regime officials and regime-affiliated news outlets, more than 40 people have been arrested so far in connection to the alleged plot, which also include a Czech and two Spanish citizens.

“A very important group of foreign hitmen and mercenaries have been captured and are in the hands of the Venezuelan justice system and there is full evidence that the CIA and the Spanish CNI (Center for National Intelligence) are against peace in Venezuela,” Maduro said in a televised event.

Maduro officials had reported earlier this month that four Americans had been arrested, but news outlets controlled by the regime announced late last week that a fifth U.S. citizen had been detained in Barinas state.

In the past, the regime has used the Americans it has held in custody as bargaining chips to be exchanged for concessions from the U.S. government. Last week, the State Department issued a new advisory warning Americans not to visit the South American country.

“Do not travel to Venezuela due to the high risk of wrongful detentions, terrorism, kidnapping, the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, poor health infrastructure,” the advisory said.

Venezuelan officials claim they have also discovered 400 rifles that were meant to be used against the regime. Among those arrested is Navy SEAL Petty Officer First Class Wilbert Joseph Castañeda, who was arrested late August and is being accused of heading the network organized to overthrow the regime.

The identities of the four other Americans arrested have not been made public.

Newly appointed Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello earlier this month accused Castañeda of being in charge of organizing different “cells” that were to be trained with the weapons as part of CIA and CNI plot.

The accusation was refuted soon after by the U.S. government.

“Any claims of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false. The United States continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela,” the State Department said in a statement after the initial arrests were announced.

Since Maduro assumed the presidency in 2013, his regime has denounced more than two dozen different plots to topple or assassinate him, often as a prelude to massive arrests.

Besides the 40 people arrested in relation to the latest alleged plot, more than 2,000 others have been detained by the regime after the unrest created by the announcement that Maduro had won the presidential election held in July with close to 52% of the vote.

The Venezuelan opposition claims that its presidential candidate, Edmundo González, was the real winner of the vote, and published the official vote tallies showing that González had won by a margin of more than 2-1.

Most of the international community agrees that the regime’s announcement does not look credible and has urged Maduro to present the official tallies confirming his claim that he won, but he has so far failed to do so.