Edited by Ed Newman on October 17, 2024
Diosdado Cabello said that Venezuelan authorities have seized more than 500 weapons to date. photo: Latest News Venezuela
The Minister of the Interior, Justice and Peace of Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello, offered more details this Thursday about terrorist plans against the country, organized by the U.S. Government through the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), with the participation of the National Intelligence Center (CNI) of Spain.
He recalled that several weeks ago, it was reported that a group of mercenaries were arrested and hundreds of assault rifles and other weapons were seized that they were trying to introduce into Venezuela. He stressed that it is an operation conceived between the CIA and the DEA, as well as the CNI, and that it is known to the representative of the extremist right, María Corina Machado.
The Venezuelan minister of the interior reported that 71 new firearms were seized through various operations. In one of the operations, 33 rifles that had been stolen from Venezuelan armed institutions were recovered. In total, more than 500 weapons have been seized, some manufactured in the U.S. and others in Israel.
According to the plan they designed, the CNI introduces mercenaries and weapons into Venezuela. The former make contact with criminal groups such as the Tren del Llano and the Tren de Aragua, and then attack civilian and military targets, harm the population and assassinate revolutionary leaders, all with the purpose of destabilizing and provoking a regime change through violent means.
Diosdado Cabello explained that recruiters in charge of recruiting mercenaries in Colombia and introducing them into Venezuela have been identified and arrested. He pointed out that the mercenary Iván Simonovis, protected by the U.S. government, acts as a central element in arms trafficking operations.
Venezuela’s minister of the interior specified that the groups operating in the Valles de Aragua, linked to the Tren de Aragua, possessed weapons and ammunition from the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB).
He added that Venezuelan authorities, through the mobile phones of the detainees, obtained more information about the links they established with each other. In addition, photographs of vital service infrastructures, such as refineries, were found on their mobile phones.
He explained that in this group of detainees there are citizens from the United States, Peru, Colombia and other nationalities, but they have as a link the mastery of the Spanish language to be able to infiltrate the communities without being detected. Several of them are hacking specialists and had the mission of carrying out cyber attacks against basic services.
The security operations led to the arrest of Jonathan Pagan González — a U.S. citizen — apprehended in the state of Zulia, who had the mission of infiltrating religious organizations, in which he had the support of already identified political groups.
Diosdado Cabello denounced that the Venezuelan extreme right is aware of all these terrorist operations, in particular María Corina Machado. Others linked to the operation were the former Colombian presidents Álvaro Uribe and Iván Duque.
He showed organizational charts detailing the links between the detainees, as well as their roles in the terrorist network. He showed images of U.S. authorities supposedly checking the shipments in which the weapons came to Venezuela, and how they allowed them to pass through customs controls in the United States.
He also showed a brand that several assault rifles have, the so-called Gadsden flag, widely used in the U.S. and other countries as a symbol of rebellion against the State. He added that it is widely used by far-right militias in the U.S. “We are seeing the face of fascism,” he said.
Interpol has also reportedly requested information from Venezuela about the seized weapons.
Cabello stressed that the Venezuelan authorities are working for the tranquility and security of the country. He said that the investigation continues with full respect for the rights of the detainees, with the guarantees and time established by law. They have already been prosecuted, they are in good health and are providing information, he said.
He emphasized that these operations could also cause harm to Colombia, since the intelligence agencies accused of being responsible for this coup plan are employing paramilitaries from that country to attack Venezuela.
He reflected on the importance of neighbouring countries understanding that what is being done against Venezuela can be used against them. Venezuela is a laboratory for testing methods that will then be used against other sovereign and independent states.
Venezuela is prepared to counter any terrorist plan that is activated against it from within or from outside, emphasized Cabello, who asserted that the homeland of Bolívar and Chávez will continue to enjoy peace and tranquility.
Source: Radio Havana Cuba