On Tuesday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the arrest of seven foreigners, including two Americans, whom he accused of being mercenaries attempting to block his inauguration for another six-year term. Maduro claimed the Americans, whom he characterized as Colombian hitmen, along with three mercenaries from the Ukraine conflict, were involved in planned terrorist activities ahead of his scheduled inauguration on Friday. In a state television broadcast, he expressed confidence that the individuals would confess within hours and ordered a mass deployment of police and military throughout the country. This announcement came shortly after President Joe Biden welcomed exiled Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia in the United States, where Biden supported a peaceful return to democratic governance in Venezuela and cautioned against further repression. The U.S. and several of Venezuela’s democratic neighbors believe Gonzalez Urrutia won the July presidential election by a large margin, alleging that the official results were manipulated. The opposition has urged millions of Venezuelans to protest on Thursday to stop Maduro from maintaining power and being officially sworn in. Maduro, 62, and his political mentor Hugo Chavez, who passed away in 2013, have governed Venezuela for the past 25 years, resisting both international and domestic pressures while holding onto power through populist tactics, contested elections, and the support of military, police, and paramilitary forces.
