3 Americans Detained in Venezuela Over Alleged Anti-Government Plot

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro speaks during a news conference after casting his vote during the presidential elections at Escuela Ecológica Bolivariana Simón Rodríguez in Fuerte Tiuna, Caracas, Venezuela, on July 28, 2024. Jesus Vargas/Getty Images

Three U.S. citizens are among five people detained by Venezuelan authorities over their alleged connection to a terrorist plot to destabilize the country, Venezuela’s interior minister announced on Oct. 17.

Appearing on state television, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello identified the U.S. citizens as David Guttenberg Guillaume, Gregory David Werber, and Jonathan Pagan Gonzalez.

Cabello did not state when the five individuals were detained or what charges they faced but said Gonzalez was captured in the border state of Zulia.

A Peruvian and a Bolivian citizen were taken into custody alongside the three Americans, he said.

All of the individuals speak “perfect” Spanish and traveled to the South American nation under the pretense of either a holiday or a visit with a romantic partner, the interior minister said.

“The detained foreigners speak Spanish perfectly, a necessary requirement for them to involve themselves in communities,” Cabello stated.

He provided no evidence linking the detained individuals to alleged terrorist activities in the country.

Instead, he repeated previous claims that U.S. entities such as the CIA were behind the alleged terrorist plot—a claim that has been repeatedly refuted by the U.S. State Department.

Election Results Under Scrutiny

The detainments follow a clampdown on what Venezuela’s government has described as “anti-government activities” following the highly disputed July presidential election in which President Nicolás Maduro secured a third term in office.

The election results sparked nationwide protests and have been heavily scrutinized by the United States and its allies, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the UK.

The latest arrests bring the number of foreign detainees in Venezuela to at least 12 after three Americans, two Spaniards, and a Czech citizen were arrested last month.

One of those detained was later identified as Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez, whom Cabello described as a Navy SEAL who had served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Colombia.

Also in September, a fourth U.S. citizen was arrested for allegedly taking photos of electrical and oil installations and military units.

Officials accused those individuals of traveling to the country to assassinate Maduro, overthrow the Venezuelan government, and kill several members of its leadership.

The United States in September imposed sanctions on 16 people connected to Maduro, whom the Biden administration accused of obstructing voting during the July presidential election and carrying out human rights abuses.

The Maduro administration has previously used Americans imprisoned in Venezuela to gain concessions from the U.S. government.

Under a deal with the Biden administration in December 2023, the Venezuelan government handed over 10 Americans and a fugitive wanted by the U.S. government to secure a presidential pardon for Columbian businessman Alex Saab, a close Maduro ally accused of a $350 million money laundering scheme.

A State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that is “concerned” about the reports of U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela and is “working diligently to gather additional information.”

The spokesperson did not provide further comments regarding the detained individuals, citing privacy and other considerations.

“Any claims of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false,” the spokesperson said. “The United States continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela. As Maduro and his associates have shown in the past, they will detain and jail, without justification or due process, U.S. citizens who enter Venezuela.”

Aldgra Fredly, The Associated Press, and Reuters contributed to this report.

This report has been updated with comment from the State Department..