What is known about the two Spaniards arrested in Venezuela?

Andres Martinez Adasme and Jose Maria Basoa They are the two Spanish men who have been arrested by the Venezuelan regime. In a broadcast on the state television channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), both appeared holding a sign with their names, their passports and claiming to have Spanish nationality.

What is known about them so far is that both are from BilbaoMartínez is 32 years old and Basoa, 35. Regarding the accusations of belonging to the CNI, the father of the former assured that “he did not work for them,” stating that both were “on vacation” in Venezuela and that they lost contact with them.

The father stated that he had to report his son’s absence to his workplace. His LinkedIn profile is outdated and empty, while José María Basoa Valdovinos’s profile details that he is a technician. gas installationsheating, plumbing and climate.

They reported the disappearance on September 9

The family reported the disappearance of both on September 9th through social media. A Colombian portal helped them to spread the word so they could locate them with the help of citizen collaboration. In the publication, they detailed the travel plan that both had, until the contact disappeared.

Holiday chronology

• He August 17th They took a flight from Madrid to Caracas, Venezuela.
• Once there, they rented a vehicle through the Aco Rent a Car portal, in the Venezuelan capital. The return date was September 5thbut it was never carried out.
• He August 31stthey left in a boat from Puerto Ayacucho, towards Colombia.
• He September 2ndAt 5 pm in Colombia, they announced their intention to return, but nothing more was heard from them. No guide accompanied them.
• Sunday September 8th They were supposed to return to Madrid, but they didn’t take the flight either.

The plan: the Argentine embassy and kill Maduro

Regarding them, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Justice and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, said that they were detained in Puerto Ayacucho, capital of the Amazonas state and bordering Colombia and Brazil. He accused them of belonging to the Spanish National Intelligence Center (CNI) and that they had planned to carry out acts of terrorism. «terrorists»which included ending the lives of Nicolás Maduro and other officials of the Chavista regime, such as Delcy Rodríguez.

He says that the device seized more than 400 weapons “transported from the United States.” Two Americans, accused by the regime of links to the CIA, and a Czech were also arrested. A spokesman for the US State Department confirmed the arrest of one of them, a member of the Army, and was awaiting confirmation of the arrest of two other citizens.

Supposedly, on their phones they found information and contacts with a regional “leader” of the Vente Venezuela party, who was asked “How do they buy explosives?“and to “contact groups that would like to do some special work.”

He stated that they intended to attack the EEmbassy of Argentina in Caracas, where six opposition members have been sheltering since March and whose intention was to attribute it to the Maduro regime. They would do this with “grenades and explosives.” Likewise, in the canal TelesurCabello accused Spain of being the one who would infiltrate “French mercenaries» to fulfill the plans of the United States nation.

They are accused of “connections with political groups in Venezuela, with criminal gangs” and with the American military man, Wilber Josep Castañeda, who is supposedly in charge of the operation. Together with the United States leading the terrorist attempts, Cabello stated that he was “Mrs. Maria Corina Machado“, the main supporter of the leader of the majority opposition, Edmundo González Urrutia, who had to go into exile in Spain on September 8 due to the political and judicial persecution he suffered.

Spain’s denial

Meanwhile, Spanish government sources have denied that Martínez and Basoa belong to the CNI. For its part, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Spanish Embassy has announced that it has sent a verbal note to the Venezuelan government, requesting “access to the detainees, in order to verify their identities and nationality, and if verified, to know exactly what they are accused of and to ensure that they can receive all necessary assistance.” They also assured that they would ensure the rights and protection of any Spaniard who is arrested in Venezuela.