Laura Gamba Fadul
09 January 2025•Update: 09 January 2025
BOGOTA, Colombia
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Wednesday that a senior FBI official was among two Americans who were arrested for plotting "terrorist" acts.
The other US national is a military officer.
Maduro on Tuesday announced the arrest of seven foreign "mercenaries" – two from the United States, two from Colombia, and three from Ukraine – who were allegedly involved in a plot to carry out terrorist acts against Venezuela.
In a televised speech Wednesday, Maduro blamed the Biden administration for orchestrating these actions.
He said his government is dismantling “a foreign mercenary aggression financed by the outgoing US government.”
"Operations are ongoing. We must remain vigilant and prepared," he said, adding that further arrests had been made, without elaborating.
Maduro's announcement follows a statement Monday by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello that Venezuelan authorities had apprehended a total of 125 foreign mercenaries from 25 countries in the last two months who had entered the country with the intention of committing acts of terrorism against the Venezuelan people.
Maduro is preparing to be sworn in for a third consecutive six-year term Friday, despite allegations of fraud in the July elections.
The opposition, which claims that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won the presidential election, has called for protests to take place Thursday.
Gonzalez Urrutia has embarked on a regional tour, visiting Argentina, Uruguay, the US, Panama and the Dominican Republic to garner support from countries that have recognized his claim to the presidency.
The latest arrests in Venezuela occurred shortly after US President Joe Biden met with the opposition leader.
