Navy sailor detained in Venezuela while on ‘personal travel’
Military service member was not authorized to travel to Venezuela, Navy official says
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Navy sailor was detained in Caracas, Venezuela, last week while on personal travel.
An official with the Navy confirmed to Fox News that the unnamed sailor was detained on Saturday and remains in custody.
The official also said the sailor was on personal travel and was not authorized to travel to Venezuela. It is unclear why the sailor was detained.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The sailor's detainment comes as Venezuela has been rocked by political turmoil.
MADURO CRACKDOWN ON POLITICAL OPPONENTS FOLLOWING RIGGED ELECTION: ‘CHILLED PEOPLE INTO SILENCE’
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro addresses government loyalists gathered at the presidential palace in support of his re-election one month after the presidential vote in Caracas on Aug. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Earlier last month, Maria Oropeza, a key figure in Venezuela’s opposition movement, livestreamed her arrest as she was removed from her home in Portugesa.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}During the stream, security officials from Venezuela’s General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence forced entry into Oropeza’s home without probable cause or a warrant.
Before Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's enforcers confiscated her mobile phone and terminated her Instagram stream, she said on her live broadcast, "I am not a criminal. I am just another citizen who wants a different country." Oropeza has not been heard from since.
A few hours before being detained, Oropeza criticized the broad, intensifying crackdowns that have ensued in Venezuela over the past month. The opposition activist and lawyer referred to Maduro's suppression as a witch hunt against politicians after the highly contested election.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Venezuela's July 28 election saw Maduro claiming victory by more than 1 million votes.
US, BRAZIL FLOAT NEW VENEZUELA ELECTION DESPITE GOVERNMENT, OPPOSITION REBUFFS
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds a news conference on July 31, 2024, three days after his disputed re-election. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, was seeking a third six-year term.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meanwhile, the main opposition coalition, Vente Venezuela, has accused him of trying to steal the vote.
The Vente Venezuela campaign has released records showing opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez winning by a more than 2-to-1 margin. The main leader of the opposition, Gonzalez, and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, have gone into hiding since the vote.
Maduro's claim of victory spurred an eruption of protests across Venezuela, prompting his regime to engage in a wave of violent repression. Security forces have apprehended more than 2,000 demonstrators, many of whom were taken to torture camps. Oropeza is one such prisoner.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VENEZUELANS WILL KEEP FIGHTING FOR DEMOCRACY. THEY HAVE NO CHOICE
Maduro's plane is seen on a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, tarmac after U.S. authorities seized the aircraft and flew it from the Dominican Republic. (WFOR)
On Monday, the U.S. seized a plane owned by Maduro in the Dominican Republic.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) flew Maduro's personal plane back to the United States on Monday morning, when it landed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and is now in U.S. custody, a U.S. official told Fox News after an initial report by CNN.
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The plane, valued at $13 million, is a Dassault Falcon 900-EX. The seizure was a result of a joint investigation with HSI and the Department of Commerce.
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace, Bill Melugin and Kyra Colah contributed to this report.