WASHINGTON
The United States said Monday it has not yet been notified about the detention of U.S. citizens in Venezuela, following comments by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
"We had not received formal notification of an alleged arrest from the government of Venezuela, as we would when there was ever a report that an American citizen may have been detained," said State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf.
During a rally Saturday, Maduro said "a few days ago" an unspecified number of Americans were arrested in the southwest of the country for engaging espionage.
An American pilot of Latin American origin was also among those arrested, according to Maduro.
He also announced a raft of measures against the U.S., including a new visa requirement for U.S. visitors to the country.
Maduro said he would not allow the U.S. to "govern the world" and called for a "global rebellion" against what he called U.S. "interventionism."
Harf said the U.S. was “clearly concerned” about Maduro’s comments.
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