Venezuela arrests five foreigners over alleged anti-government plot

Venezuelan authorities have arrested five foreign nationals in connection with an alleged anti-government plot, the latest in a wave of arrests following July’s contested presidential election.

The country’s interior minister Diosdado Cabello said on Thursday that the five – three Americans, a Bolivian and a Peruvian – had engaged in a plan to destabilise the country.

Cabello claimed that US intelligence agencies were involved in the plot, though he provided no evidence for the allegation.

The CIA previously denied a claim it was involved in an alleged plot to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro.

The US State Department condemned the latest arrests and said that the “safety and security of American citizens anywhere around the world is our first priority”.

Electoral authorities loyal to Maduro announced him the victor in the July election, but the claim has been widely rejected by the international community.

After Maduro claimed victory, anti-government protests erupted.

More than 2,400 people have been detained for protesting against the election result. Hundreds have been charged with crimes including terrorism, incitement to hatred and resistance to authority, according to Human Rights Watch.

Cabello did not disclose when the latest arrests took place, but said that one of the Americans was detained in the border state of Zulia. He offered no details about the circumstances that led to the arrests of the foreign nationals.

“The detained foreigners speak Spanish perfectly, a necessary requirement for them to involve themselves in communities,” Cabello said in a televised address.

Since Maduro claimed victory in July, his allies have made frequent accusations that the US has been sponsoring plots to undermine the leftist government.

Last month, Cabello announced the arrest of three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech national who he accused of travelling to the country to assassinate Maduro.

Calling the detainees “mercenaries”, the interior minister claimed the CIA was “leading the operation” and that hundreds of weapons had been seized.

The US denied the accusations.

Venezuela has often accused the CIA of undermining it.

The most recent incident marked the latest deterioration in relations, which have been at a low ebb for years as Venezuela has grown increasingly close to Russia and China.

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE), which is closely aligned with the government, declared Maduro the winner of July’s vote, but has not published detailed voting tallies.

Data published by the opposition suggests its candidate, Edmundo González, was the true winner, and international observers said that the election was seriously flawed. The Carter Centre said the poll “did not meet international standards of electoral integrity”.