Maduro said on Tuesday that the group was planning “terrorist acts” ahead of the inauguration ceremony on Friday, describing them as two Colombian “hitmen”, three “mercenaries” from the war in Ukraine and two US citizens.
He described the arrests as “very high level,” but he refused to provide any additional details or proof.
“Just today, we’ve captured seven foreign mercenaries, including two important mercenaries from the United States”, he said in a broadcast on state television, before declaring a mass deployment of police and military across the country.
“I am sure that in the next few hours, they will confess”, he added.
Maduro, who is set to take office for a third term on Friday following last July’s contested election, said the group was captured in unspecified parts of Venezuela.
He added that 125 foreign mercenaries from 25 different countries had been seized in total in remarks made from the Miraflores presidential palace. He claimed that Venezuelans had been “practicing terrorism against the Venezuelan people” when they entered the country.
Requests for comment were not immediately addressed by the US Department of State or Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Maduro, who came to power in 2013 for the first time in years, has frequently made outrageous claims about US-led coups.
After months of negotiations between Caracas and Washington, Venezuela’s government released dozens of prisoners, including 10 Americans, while Colombian businessman Alex Saab, a close ally of Maduro, was released by the US.
Following reports that Gonzalez Urrutia’s son-in-law had been abducted in Caracas, US President Joe Biden met with exiled Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and a press conference, which followed the arrests.
Biden reiterated his support for a “peaceful return to democratic rule” in Venezuela during the meeting, as well as his warning against further oppression.
He tenido una larga reunión con el Presidente Biden. Su compromiso con una transición pacífica y ordenada en Venezuela, está intacto.
Durante 45 minutos pudimos profundizar sobre lo positivo que será, para la región, la expansión de la democracia partiendo desde Venezuela. … pic. twitter.com/PuBS6vvgqL
Translation: I had a long meeting with President Biden. His unwavering support for a peaceful and orderly transition in Venezuela is unwavering. We had a 45-minute conversation about the positive effects Venezuela’s expansion of democracy will have on the area. Thank you, President Biden!
Gonzalez Urrutia is making his first official visit to friendly nations in an effort to increase his international support. He has been elected president-elect by several regional governments, including the US.
The opposition leader’s victory in the July presidential election was widely disputed, according to Washington and several of Venezuela’s democratic neighbors.
Venezuelans must demonstrate on Thursday to stop Maduro from holding the office and taking the oath of office, according to the opposition.
They face an uphill battle.
The 62-year-old Maduro and his political mentor Hugo Chavez, who died in 2013, have between them governed Venezuela for the last quarter century.
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