Venezuela arrests fourth US citizen this month, interior minister says


FILE PHOTO: Vice President of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) Diosdado Cabello speaks at the Supreme Court of Justice, in Caracas, Venezuela, August 9, 2024. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/File Photo

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela has arrested a fourth American citizen since the start of this month, the country's Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on Tuesday, without naming the person detained.

The American was arrested after taking photos of military units, power stations, and state entities, Cabello said during a National Assembly session which was broadcast on state television.

"Another citizen of North American origin was captured, an American we had been following was captured here in Caracas taking photos of electrical installations, oil installations, military units," Cabello said.

On Saturday, Spain asked Venezuela for information regarding the arrest of two Spaniards, three US citizens and a Czech, following reports they were detained over an alleged plan to destabilize the country.

The arrests came after the Venezuelan government recalled its ambassador to Spain this week for consultations and summoned the Spanish ambassador to appear at the foreign ministry, escalating diplomatic tensions following Venezuela's disputed presidential election.

"Rest assured that this gentleman is part of the plan against Venezuela," Cabello said.

(Reporting by Mayela Armas and Deisy Buitrago; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by David Gregorio)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In World

Crowds gather in Cameroon for biggest event of Pope Leo's Africa tour
Gunmen kidnap students heading to exams in Nigeria's Benue state
UK's Starmer faces calls to resign as Mandelson row reignites
Prince Harry and Meghan meet survivors of Bondi Beach attack on final day of Australia trip
Myanmar cuts ex-leader Aung San Suu Kyi's sentence, frees former president
NATO will not collapse and US will defend its allies, Estonian minister says
South Korea says not aware of US protest over minister's remarks on North Korea nuclear site
Romanian defence ministry says radars caught Russian drone breaching air space
Australian former soldier gets bail on Afghanistan war crime charges
10-day ceasefire deal between Israel, Lebanon takes effect

Others Also Read