Government of Venezuela denounces 8 arrests in a new alleged maritime raid

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Venezuela denounces attempted invasion 3:17

(CNN Spanish) - The governor of the Aragua state, Rodolfo Marcos Torres, reported on Monday that, thanks to intelligence work, a group of people who he accused of being "mercenaries" were captured. In the Venezuelan state television company, it was reported that the event had occurred in the coastal town of Chuao, something that CNN has not been able to verify.

Shortly after and through their social networks, the president of the National Constituent Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, specified that 8 people were apprehended, including Antonio Sequea, whom he identified as the head of the operation.

CNN contacted his wife Verónica Noya, who reported that she is contacting defense attorneys for the detainee. He also mentioned Josnar Adolfo Baduel, son of the former defense minister of the late President Hugo Chávez and currently a prisoner in the Bolivarian Intelligence Service, SEBIN. The detainees have not yet been brought to court and it is unknown if they have legal representation. Andreina Baduel, sister of Josnar Adolfo Baduel, denounced that it was a kidnapping and held the Maduro government responsible for what could happen to her brother.

The news comes a day after the authorities of the questioned Nicolás Maduro government denounced a maritime and armed incursion in the La Guaira state, one hour from Caracas, after which 8 of the people who had entered the boat lost their lives, according to information in a confrontation provided by Cabello.

CNN has also been unable to independently verify these facts.

Venezuela's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, reported Monday that there are five people detained in the case, to which are added the 8 arrests in Chuao for a total of 13 so far. Saab assured that all the detainees would be linked to the so-called Operation Gideon, which would seek the overthrow of Nicolás Maduro. He reported that in the official operation 10 rifles and 1 9 mm Glock pistol were seized. He added that in the evening hours, evidence emerged that, according to him, Juan Guaidó would be the mastermind of this alleged conspiracy. However, it did not specify whether an arrest warrant was issued against him.

Through a statement, Guaidó, president of the National Assembly and recognized as the president in charge of Venezuela for at least 55 countries, questioned the events recorded this Sunday as they were considered riddled with inconsistencies, doubts and contradictions. The opposition leader confirmed that his central approach is the formation of a national emergency government without Nicolás Maduro, made up of all the forces in the country.

The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry also provided data on the security operation on the coasts. From there they indicated that one of the captured confessed to being "a veteran agent of the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)". CNN has not been able to verify this claim.

Consulted by CNN, a spokesman for the US State Department said they have "little reason to believe anything" that the Venezuelan government denounces. "The Maduro regime has been consistent in its use of disinformation to distract attention from Venezuela's mismanagement." He stated that the policy of the United States is to support the South American country for the "return to democracy."

The Foreign Ministry of Colombia, for its part, rejected the accusations through a statement: "The statements made by the dictatorial regime of Nicolás Maduro have been made trying to blame our country for alleged destabilization events." And he added that what was said by the questioned Maduro government "constitute attempts to divert attention from the real problems that the people of Venezuela are experiencing." "This is an unfounded accusation, which attempts to commit the Government of Colombia in a speculative plot," says the statement.