US soldier arrested in Venezuela for alleged plans to destabilize the country

A US soldier was arrested in Venezuela, the US State Department said.

On Saturday, Venezuela's Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech had been arrested on suspicion of attempting to assassinate Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and overthrow the Venezuelan government, Reuters reported.

In a statement seen by Fox News Digital, the US State Department denied the allegations. Spokesman Matt Miller said: “Any allegations of US involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false.”

Miller confirmed the soldier's detention and said the State Department was aware of “unconfirmed reports” that Venezuelan authorities had arrested two other Americans.

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The Associated Press identified the American soldier as Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez, a member of the Marines.

The arrests come amid an international dispute over the recent presidential election in Venezuela, which was overshadowed by allegations of fraud.

Although Maduro was declared the winner by Venezuelan politicians in July, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month there was “overwhelming evidence” that Maduro's opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, had won the most votes.

During a press conference on Saturday, Cabello said those arrested were suspected of being linked to plans to assassinate Maduro and other officials.

“These groups want to seize the country's wealth and we as a government will respond firmly to any attempt at destabilization,” Cabello said, adding that authorities had confiscated about 400 rifles from the United States.

The US State Department denied the allegations.

The United States “continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela,” Miller said.

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Cabello said the Spanish nationals were arrested while taking photos in the city of Puerto Ayacucho.

“These citizens have connections – we know they will say no, that it is a lie – they have connections to headquarters,” Cabello said, referring to the Spanish secret service.

According to Spanish media reports, the Spanish government also denied any involvement.

A source in the Spanish Foreign Ministry told Reuters that additional information had been requested from Venezuelan officials.

“The Spanish embassy has sent a verbal communication to the Venezuelan government requesting access to the detained citizens to verify their identity and nationality and to find out exactly what they are accused of,” the source said.

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Following the controversial presidential election in Venezuela on July 28, diplomatic tensions between Venezuela and Spain remain tense.

A Spanish minister accused Maduro of leading a “dictatorship.”

Venezuela also expressed anger at the decision of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to meet with Gonzalez, who went into exile in Spain last week after being threatened with arrest by Maduro's regime after the election.

Nick Kalman of Fox News and Reuters contributed to this report.