Mercenaries are believed to have attacked Venezuela – the government in Caracas has deployed tens of thousands of soldiers. The opposition believes that President Maduro faked the attack. This announced the arrest of two US citizens.
The Venezuelan government has deployed more than 25,000 soldiers following an alleged attempt to invade “terrorist mercenaries”. They are said to be looking for other suspected fighters who are active in the country, the authorities said.
Venezuelan officials said eight attackers were killed in the incident last Sunday. In total, 13 suspects were arrested in this attempt at “invasion” – other sources speak of 15 arrested. According to head of state Nicolás Maduro, there should also be two US citizens. The president did not name the nationalities of the other detainees.
Maduro Announces Arrest of US Citizens
The two U.S. citizens were arrested by Venezuelan security forces, Maduro said in a speech. They are said to have belonged to a group that attempted to infiltrate Venezuela from the sea. In the nationwide TV speech, Maduro showed two blue US passports that are supposed to belong to the men and read out the names and dates of birth. The men, aged 34 and 41, were among the security guards of U.S. President Donald Trump, Maduro said. He also showed equipment such as walkie talkies and night vision devices.
A Florida veteran, Jordan Goudreau, had said before Maduro’s speech that he had worked with the two arrested Americans on a mission to “liberate” Venezuela. They are also former US soldiers with whom he served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Different information about the incident
Goudreau initially added that he had made a pact with the US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó to overthrow Maduro. However, Guaidó never complied with the agreement. Nevertheless, Goudreau claims to be advancing with an underfunded operation involving almost 60 fighters, including the two U.S. veterans. Guaidó, however, denied any involvement.
Goudreau confirmed that he was ultimately not supported by Guaidó, the American or Colombian governments.
Opposition blames Maduro’s allies
Representatives of the socialist government and Maduro accuse Colombia and the United States of organizing and executing the attack with the aim of overthrowing the president. Both countries rejected this.
However, the United States and dozens of other states do not recognize Maduro’s presidency and want to see self-proclaimed interim President Guaidó at the head of the government. Opposition politicians from Venezuela and Washington accused Maduro’s allies of having faked the attack themselves.
Power struggle lasts more than a year
The leftist leader Maduro and the opposition leader Guaidó have been involved in a bitter power struggle for more than a year. Washington supports Guaidó, who announced himself the transition president of the South American country in early 2019.
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