Citgo 6 arrested after extradition of Alex Saab

Citgo 6 sent to house arrest 2:04

(CNN) -

Five U.S. citizens and one U.S. resident, who were under house arrest in Venezuela, were detained by the country's security forces, the families of Tomeu Vadell, Jorge Toledo and attorney Jesús Loreto told CNN on Saturday.

The family of another "Citgo 6," José Pereira, wrote on Twitter that his father and the rest of the group had been detained by Venezuelan authorities.

The men, known collectively as “the 6 from Citgo”, were transferred after the extradition of Alex Saab, the Colombian businessman and alleged financier to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, from Cape Verde to the United States.

Who is Alex Saab, the alleged financier of Nicolás Maduro, and why is he important to the government of Venezuela?

Neither the lawyer nor the families know where the executives were taken.

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Alex Saab extradited to the United States 4:24

Pereira's family posted a video on Twitter, recorded by him shortly before he was picked up, saying that he and his family were "very concerned" about what would happen to him after Alex Saab's extradition.

He says the Venezuelan government had already retaliated against Citgo in 2019 when it revoked his house arrest.

The US ambassador to Venezuela declined to comment.

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