The three fighters were among seven other foreign citizens planning to bring violence to the country, the president has said
Venezuelan authorities have arrested seven foreign mercenaries, including Ukrainians and Americans, who were planning to attack the country’s leadership, President Nicolas Maduro has claimed.
On Tuesday, Maduro said that the group included two Colombian hitmen captured “in different places” as well as “three mercenaries who came from Ukraine, from the war in Ukraine, to bring violence to the country.” Caracas also arrested two “very high level” US citizens, he added, later describing them as “two important mercenaries.”
The Venezuelan leader did not provide further personal details on those detained and would not explicitly say whether the members of the group were acting in concert.
According to Maduro, those arrested had planned “to carry out attacks on the leaders of the revolution,” employing the rhetoric of Bolivarian socialism popularized by his predecessor Hugo Chavez.
He added that Venezuela “did not allow it,” while urging citizens to stay on high alert.
In total, the Venezuelan authorities had captured 125 foreign mercenaries from 25 different countries who Maduro alleged had entered the country “to practice terrorism against the Venezuelan people.”
The announcement comes amid heightened tensions between Maduro’s government and opposition forces led by Edmundo Gonzalez that have refused to recognize the Venezuelan leader’s July election victory.
On Monday, Gonzalez urged the country’s military to recognize him as their commander-in-chief and “put an end to the leadership” of Maduro, who is set to be inaugurated later this week.
In September, Gonzales, who fled the country and was granted asylum in Spain, became the target of an arrest warrant accusing him of terrorism, conspiracy and several other election crimes, which he denies.
The US, which has been at odds with the Maduro government since its inception, has consistently supported the country’s opposition forces. In November, it recognized Gonzales as Venezuela’s “president-elect.” Following the election, it has also ramped up sanctions against the South American country, targeting officials it alleges were involved in electoral fraud.
In November, Venezuela responded by introducing a law that would impose prison sentences of 25 to 30 years for those who promote and facilitate coercive measures against the country.
