AFP and Sputnik
The newspaper La Jornada
Wednesday, September 18, 2024, p. 27
Caracas. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced yesterday that authorities in that country had arrested a fourth American linked to an alleged plan to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro.
The new arrest follows others announced on Saturday by the Interior Minister, amid the crisis that arose after the July 28 elections, which the opposition describes as fraudulent and whose results have not been recognized by the United States, the European Union (EU) and several Latin American countries.
The fourth detainee, unidentified, He was captured in Caracas taking photos of electrical installations, oil facilities and military unitsCabello reported in an appearance before Parliament. Rest assured that this gentleman is part of the plan against Venezuela (…): to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro, (Vice President) Delcy Rodríguez, and myself..
Two Spaniards and a Czech are also in prison in connection with this case and authorities have reported the seizure of 400 weapons of war.
It is not clear where the detainees are being held, what charges they are facing or whether they have been brought before a judge. Their countries have asked Venezuela for information.
They are asking where their people are, what evil we are doing to their people. We respect human rights and they are protected by the Venezuelan authorities in a safe place.Cabello replied.
In this context, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, had a telephone call with the opposition leader María Corina Machado and with the former presidential candidate Edmundo González, in which he assured that Washington will continue to defend the return of democracy in Venezuela.
Blinken praised her courage and commitment to democratic principles in the face of brutal repression and adversityState Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
The note does not specify whether they discussed a possible recognition of González Urrutia as president-elect, something that Machado, the main Venezuelan opposition leader, has been demanding from the international community for days.
Blinken assured them that the United States will continue to advocate for a return to democratic freedoms in Venezuela, fight to ensure that the will of Venezuelan voters is respected and that Maduro and his representatives are held accountable for their actions.Miller added.
In this regard, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil stated on Telegram that Mr. Blinken is clinging to a Guaidó part 2 who fled and abandoned his people, plunging them into a new failure. Faced with the defeat inflicted on them by the Venezuelan people, they resort to the hackneyed script of violence with fascist methods and ridiculous threats..
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government sent a note of protest to the EU delegation in Caracas, rejecting the statements. interventionists of the High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, who referred on Sunday to the Maduro government as a dictatorial regime and authoritarianreported the Vice Minister of the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry for Europe, Coromoto Godoy.
Finally, the National Assembly of Venezuela presented a project to urge the Maduro government to break diplomatic and commercial relations with Spain for actions interventionistsThe document, prepared by the Foreign Policy Committee of the legislative body, is expected to be discussed in a parliamentary session.