MADRID, Sept 15 (Askume) – Two Spanish citizens arrested in Venezuela have no links to Spanish secret services and Spain is not involved in any plans to destabilise the South American country’s politics, a Spanish foreign ministry source said on Sunday.
Two Spaniards, three US citizens and a Czech national have been arrested in Venezuela on suspicion of being involved in a plan to destabilise the South American country, Venezuela’s interior minister said on Saturday .
“Spain denies and totally rejects any suggestion that it is involved in actions that undermine political stability in Venezuela,” a Spanish foreign ministry source said.
“The government has confirmed that those detained (two Spanish citizens) are not part of the National Intelligence Center or any national organisation. Spain defends a democratic and peaceful solution to the situation in Venezuela.”
The arrests are likely to further exacerbate Venezuela’s already tense relations with Spain and the United States following July’s disputed presidential election.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said at a news conference on Saturday that two Spaniards allegedly linked to Spain’s secret service were planning to assassinate a mayor.
He named the Spaniards as José María Barsoya and Andrés Martínez Edzanne. Pictures of these men were shown on state television.
Cabello also accused three US citizens and a Czech citizen of involvement in terrorist activities, including an alleged plot to assassinate Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and other officials.
The State Department said on Saturday that “any suggestion that the United States is engaged in a plot to overthrow Maduro is absolutely false.”
A US State Department spokesperson also confirmed that “a member of the US military” was being detained and pointed to “unconfirmed reports that two other US citizens were detained in Venezuela.”
Spain is seeking more information from Venezuela, a Spanish foreign ministry source told Askume on Saturday.
“The Spanish embassy has sent a verbal note to the Venezuelan government requesting a meeting with the detained citizens to verify their identity and nationality and to find out exactly what they are accused of,” the source said, speaking anonymously.
Cabello said the Spanish nationals were detained while taking photographs in the city of Puerto Ayacucho.
Last week, Venezuela recalled its ambassador to Spain for consultations and summoned the Spanish ambassador to court after its Spanish minister accused Maduro of “dictatorship” as diplomatic tensions escalated following Venezuela’s disputed presidential election.
Caracas is also angered by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s decision to meet Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia last Thursday. Threatened with arrest by the Douro regime, he fled into exile in Spain.
Tensions also increased between Venezuela and the United States after Washington recognised González Urrutia as the winner of the July 28 election.
