US denies CIA involvement in alleged assassination plot of Venezuela President Maduro

The United States has denied allegations of CIA involvement in an alleged plot to assassinate Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The rejection by the US State Department comes after the arrest of several foreign nationals, including three Americans, by Venezuelan authorities.

An assassination plot

Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela's interior minister, claimed on state television that foreign individuals, including a US Navy member, were part of a CIA-led conspiracy aimed at overthrowing the Venezuelan government and killing several of its leaders.

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Cabello also showed images of rifles allegedly confiscated from the alleged plotters of the assassination.

In response, as perABC News,the US State Department said it knew about the "unconfirmed reports of two additional US citizens detained in Venezuela."

However, it added, "Any claims of US involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false. The United States continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela."

Venezuela's contentious elections

The allegations follow recent US sanctions imposed on 16 Maduro allies, who were accused of obstructing voting and committing human rights abuses during the contentious July 28 presidential election.

Spain's parliament recently recognised opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the election winner, a move that angered Maduro's supporters and led to calls for the suspension of relations between Venezuela and Spain.

Tensions between Venezuela and the US have escalated since the election, which saw widespread protests and the arrest of numerous opposition activists. The Venezuelan electoral council, which supports Maduro, reported him as the winner with 52 per cent of the vote. However, opposition figures, who collected and published tally sheets from 80 per cent of voting machines, claimed Gonzalez had twice as many votes.

Despite international criticism, Venezuela's supreme court confirmed Maduro's victory in August, leading to conspiracy charges against Gonzalez, who fled to Spain. Maduro has rejected calls from countries like Colombia and Brazil to provide detailed election results, and has previously accused the US of attempting to destabilise his government through sanctions and covert operations.

(With inputs from agencies)