Venezuela’s government says fourth US citizen was detained in alleged plot to kill President Maduro

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government Tuesday announced the arrest of a fourth U.S. citizen in connection with an alleged plot to kill President Nicolás Maduro in which authorities claim the CIA, Spain’s intelligence agency, organized crime groups, sex workers and members of the opposition are involved.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello revealed the arrest and details of the plot during a speech before the National Assembly, whose members applauded the detention. Cabello did not identify the most recently detained American.

The alleged plan joins dozens of other anti-Maduro plans that his government earlier this year claimed to have foiled.

“Those who try to mess with Venezuela, we will screw them, regardless of their name,” Cabello said.

He spoke hours after an independent panel of experts backed by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council issued a scathing report against Maduro’s government, accusing it of deploying the “harshest and most violent mechanisms of its repressive apparatus” in the wake of the disputed July presidential election.

Cabello told lawmakers that the objective of the latest alleged plot “is political.” He claimed the U.S. citizen detained Tuesday in the capital, Caracas, had taken photos of electrical and oil-industry infrastructure and military units.

“It is not the first time he has come to Venezuela,” Cabello said, without identifying the man. He insisted, without providing evidence, that the CIA designed, promoted and financed the plot and Spain’s National Intelligence Center was aware of it.

Cabello on Saturday announced the arrests of three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech citizen in connection with the alleged plan. He identified one of the U.S. citizens as Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez, whom he claimed is a Navy SEAL who had served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Colombia.

“Any claims of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false. The United States continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela,” the Department of State said in a statement after the initial arrests were announced.

Cabello on Tuesday also linked to the alleged plot sex workers who were supposedly in contact with the foreigners, and members of the main opposition coalition.

Tensions between Venezuela’s government and the U.S. have increased since the presidential election, whose result sparked protests across the South American country that resulted in the arrests of more than 2,000 people, including minors, and the deaths of two dozen.

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, said Maduro won a third six-year term, but it did not provide a detailed breakdown of the results.

Members of the opposition, however, surprised the government by collecting tally sheets from 80% of the nation’s electronic voting machines and publishing them online. The tally sheets, they said, indicate that former diplomat Edmundo González won the election with twice as many votes as Maduro.