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40-Plus Suspects Detained in Venezuela in Connection With Botched Raid

Grace Morgan

   More than 40 people have been detained as alleged participants in last
   week's unsuccessful attempt to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas
   Maduro, as security forces continue to round up suspects.

   Three Venezuelan men were captured Monday in Carayaca, 35 miles west of
   Caracas. Venezuela's Bolivarian National Guard said in a social media
   post that the men were "terrorists who entered the country intending to
   provoke violence."

   Late Sunday, Venezuelan army chief Remigio Ceballos tweeted to announce
   that government forces had arrested eight other "enemies of the
   fatherland" allegedly tied to the foiled raid.

     ALERTA! Pueblo de Venezuela la Patria se crece su FANB sigue
     garantizando la Seguridad de la Nación, hemos capturado hoy a esta
     hora 8 terroristas mercenarios, Felicitaciones REDI Capital y
     Central seguimos escudriñando y capturando a los enemigos de la
     Patria!!! [1]pic.twitter.com/6c1NadqwNT
     -- A/J REMIGIO CEBALLOS (@CeballosIchaso) [2]May 11, 2020

   Maduro's forces reportedly killed eight men during the May 3 raid and
   captured more than 20 others, including Americans Airon Berry and Luke
   Denman, both former members of the U.S. special forces. Berry and
   Denman are being held in Venezuela on charges of terrorism, arms
   trafficking and conspiracy.

   Maduro announced last week that his government was working toward the
   extradition from the U.S. of Jordan Goudreau, the operator of a
   Florida-based security contracting company implicated in the botched
   mission, to stand trial for his alleged role in the raid attempt.

   Venezuelan authorities say that the operatives traveled by speedboat
   from Colombia to Venezuela and that Venezuelan forces foiled the
   attack, having been warned about it ahead of time.

References

   1. https://t.co/6c1NadqwNT
   2. https://twitter.com/CeballosIchaso/status/1259673576111845377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw