Spain says Venezuela arrests foreigners for 'destabilizing country'

MADRID (Reuters) – Spain has asked Venezuela for information about reports on Saturday that two Spaniards, three US citizens and a Czech have been arrested on suspicion of links to an alleged plan to destabilize the South American country, a Spanish foreign ministry source said.

Spanish media quoted Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello as saying the six were arrested on suspicion of planning to “generate violence” and “destabilize” Venezuela.

“The Spanish embassy has sent a verbal note to the Venezuelan government asking for access to the detained citizens in order to verify their identities and their nationality and in order to know what they are accused of exactly,” a Spanish foreign ministry source told Reuters.

The Spanish nationals were detained in Puerto Ayacucho, Spanish media quoted the minister as telling a press conference, adding that about 400 rifles originating in the United States had been seized.

The Spanish citizens were accused of belonging to the Spanish secret service. Spanish media reported Madrid denied this claim.

The arrests came after the Venezuelan government recalled its ambassador to Spain this week for consultations and summoned the Spanish ambassador to appear at the foreign ministry, escalating diplomatic tensions following a disputed presidential election.

Caracas recalled its ambassador to Madrid and summoned Spain’s envoy to Venezuela for talks after a Spanish minister accused Maduro of running a “dictatorship.”

Venezuela was also angered by the decision of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to meet with Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who went into exile in Spain last week after being threatened with arrest by Maduro’s regime.

Caracas has also been engaged in a war of words with the United States, which recognized Gonzalez Urrutia as the winner of the July 28 poll.

(Reporting by Graham Keeley; Editing by Alistair Bell)