The Venezuelan government said over the weekend that it arrested six foreigners, including three American citizens, over an alleged plot to destabilize the country that included a plan to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro.
Among the Americans arrested was Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez, a member of the US Navy. US officials said he is a first-class petty officer who was formerly a Navy SEAL and insisted he was traveling on his own.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello alleged that Castañeda Gomez led the plot on behalf of the CIA, a charge denied by the US government. “The US is behind this operation. The US is handing over these firearms, they allow them to freely circulate so they can arrive in Venezuela and be used in an operation,” Cabello said at a press conference.
Venezuelan authorities said they seized 400 rifles of US origin that were allegedly linked to the plot, and some were displayed during Cabello’s press conference.
The State Department said that any claims the US was involved in a plot to kill Maduro were “categorically false.”
The allegations from Venzeula come after the Biden administration announced it rejected the results of the 2024 election and recognized Edmundo González Urrutia, who was on the ballot for the opposition, as the winner. Venezuela’s election authorities declared Maduro the winner, but the opposition disputed the results and also claimed victory.
Back in 2019, the US rejected the result of Venezuela’s 2018 elections and recognized opposition figure Juan Guaido as acting president. The US supported Guaido’s failed coup attempt against Maduro. The regime change effort came with crippling sanctions that amounted to an economic embargo.
Of course they deny it. They would never tell a lie.
The amazing thing is the botched attempts of regime changes, going back to Chavez and all the assassination attempts. Bolton reported the botched effort of the Trump regime. And all to bring the blessings of democracy to Venezuela.
Of note, neither Julio Caesar Hugo Chavez nor Trump are anywhere near the Top 5 Targets Of The Most Assassination Attempts list.
spoiler : top spot is Fidel Castro, at ~638.
Fidel must have provided Hugo with some good advice. They were great people they dwarf what we have, we have real madmen/women in government. I know we have better women than the scrap the so-called establishment picked.
US Intelligence community plans to assassinate both President Nicolas Maduro and President Trump this weekend both failed.
Venezuelans have good penetration within the anti regime forces. People have wised up to US regime change tactics and the US hasn't improved it's play book
The problem is US thinks other people in the world are dumb and don't see it coming…!
This is the time to remind ourselves of the cia three-word mantra…!
I doubt any of them are guilty of failing to register with the Venezuelan government as foreign agents but I am CERTAIN each & all of them CONSPIRED to fail to register with the Venezuelan government as foreign agents.