Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announces capture of 'American spy'

TheVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced capturing of an American spy in the country, late on Friday, near the Colombian border.

Maduro announced that the spy was caughtin the state of Falcón, which lies on the northwestern coast near the Colombian border.

"Yesterday we captured... an American spy who was spying in Falcon state on the Amuay and Cardon refineries," Maduro said in a televised address.

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"Two days ago, Tarek El Aissami, together with a group of expert engineers and technological scientists, discovered and dismantled a plan to cause an explosion at the El Palito refinery," he explained.

The unnamed spy isa former US Marine who has been servingat CIA bases in Iraq. "He was captured with heavy weapons, specialized weaponry, he was captured with a large amount of dollars in cash, a large amount of dollars," Maduro said.

It is being reported that he was captured near two Venezuelan refineries, after authorities foiled a plot to "cause an explosion" at another oil complex.

Further details are to be released soonby theVenezuelan government.

The capture has been made few months after the 'Operation Gedeon', in which a private mercenary firm Silvercorp USA and the opposition political parties, reportedly, signed a deal to capture, detain or remove the President.

The attempted coup was spotted and stopped in the starting of May this year.