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 in connection with an alleged plot to undermine the government of President Nicolas Maduro, 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.
Adesane’s father, Andres Martinez, told El Mundo newspaper on Sunday that his son did not work for Spain’s secret service.
“My son does not work for the CNI, not at all. We are waiting for information from the consulate and the embassy. We still don’t know what he is accused of or why he was arrested,” he said.
Cabello also accused three US citizens and a Czech of involvement in terrorist activities, including an alleged plot to assassinate Maduro and other officials.
The US State Department said on Saturday that “any suggestion that the United States is involved 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.”
The European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell called Maduro’s government a “dictatorship” in an interview with Spanish television channel Telecinco on Sunday.
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.
Venezuela last week recalled its ambassador to Spain for consultations and summoned Spain’s ambassador to the foreign ministry after the Spanish minister accused Maduro of “dictatorship.”
Caracas is also angered by the decision of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to meet with Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who went into exile in Spain last week after being threatened with arrest.
Tensions also rose between Venezuela and the United States after Washington recognised González Urrutia as the winner of the July 28 election.
