Spain has rejected allegations by Venezuela that it was involved in a plot to destabilise the government of the Latin American country, according to Spanish media reports.
Following the arrest of two Spaniards by the Venezuelan government on Saturday, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs ‘absolutely rejected any insinuation’ that it was involved in a ‘political destabilisation operation’ in Venezuela, according to the online El Diario.
Along with the two Spaniards arrested, three Americans and a Czech citizen were also detained in Venezuela and accused of involvement in the plot against the government.
The Spanish government has also confirmed that the two Spanish detainees are not part of Spain’s CNI spy agency ‘or any other state body’, according to Spanish media reports.
Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on Saturday that the foreign nationals were being held on suspicion of planning an attack on President Nicolas Maduro and his government.
He said two Spaniards were recently detained in Puerto Ayacucho in the southwest over the alleged plot linked to intelligence agencies in the United States and Spain as well as to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
When announcing the arrest of the two Spaniards, Cabello also said that Spain ‘was going to supply mercenaries’ for an alleged operation directed by the United States.
A US State Department spokesperson said on Saturday that ‘any claims of US involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false’.
The arrests come amid heightened tensions between Venezuela and both the United States and Spain over Venezuela’s disputed 28 July presidential election, which the country’s opposition accuses President Nicolas Maduro of stealing. ALSO READ: Spain urges ‘total transparency’ in vote count after Venezuela election.
Maduro, who succeeded iconic left-wing leader Hugo Chavez on his death in 2013, insists he won a third term but failed to release detailed voting tallies to back his claim.
The two Spaniards, Andrés Martinez Adasme and José Maria Basoa, natives of Bilbao, were on holiday in Venezuela, Adasme’s father told daily Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
‘My son does not work for the CNI, of course not. We are waiting for information from the consulate and embassy. We still do not know what they are accused of or the reason for their arrest,’ he added.
The Spanish Embassy in Venezuela is also waiting to have access to the two detainees, accused of terrorism, to verify their identities and nationality and, if they are Spanish citizens, to know what exactly they are accused of and to ensure that they can receive all the necessary assistance.
Tensions between Caracas and former colonial power Spain rose sharply after Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, 75, went into exile in Spain a week ago, after being threatened with arrest. ALSO READ: Opposition presidential candidate González flees Venezuela for asylum in Spain.
Earlier this week Caracas recalled its ambassador to Madrid for consultations and summoned Spain’s envoy to Venezuela for talks after a Spanish minister accused Maduro of running a ‘dictatorship’.
Venezuela was also angered by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s decision to meet with Gonzalez Urrutia and warned Spain against any ‘interference’ in its affairs.
ALSO READ: Spain urges ‘total transparency’ in vote count after Venezuela election.
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