Linea Directa 200 LEFT COL CAR INSURANCE

PROPERTY SEARCH

DomusVi Ciudad de Murcia residential cross content 1200

Date Published: 16/09/2024

Diplomatic crisis as two Spaniards caught trying to assassinate Venezuela President

ARCHIVED ARTICLE -

The unsubstantiated claims by Venezuela that the men were working under orders from the Spanish government come just after Spain granted political asylum to Venezuela’s opposition leader

Diplomatic crisis as two Spaniards caught trying to assassinate Venezuela President

A fresh diplomatic storm has erupted between Spain and Venezuela after the arrest of two Spanish nationals accused of plotting to assassinate Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Venezuelan authorities have claimed that José María Basoa Valdovino, 35, and Andrés Martínez Adasme, 32, are linked to Spain’s National Intelligence Centre (CNI), allegations strongly denied by the Spanish government and the families of the accused.

The two men, both from Bilbao, had reportedly been on holiday in South America, travelling from Spain to Venezuela in mid-August. Their families lost contact with them on September 2 when the pair were said to be near Inírida, Colombia, preparing to cross the border into Venezuela. Desperate for answers, their families posted an appeal for help on social media and filed a missing persons report with the Basque police.

The trip was meant to be a brief getaway. The two Spaniards had rented a car in Venezuela with plans to return it on September 5, and they had also booked a flight back to Spain for September 9. But their disappearance, and now their arrest, have plunged both families into a nightmare scenario.

On Saturday September 14, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello publicly accused the two men of being CNI agents involved in a conspiracy to assassinate President Maduro.

“They have links with the Spanish National Intelligence Centre. They can say it’s not true, but they are here, and they are confessing,” Cabello declared, inflaming an already tense relationship between the two nations.

However, both the Spanish government and the families of Basoa and Martínez have categorically denied the claims. Speaking to Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Martínez’s father stated, “I deny that my son has any involvement with the CNI. He was on holiday, nothing more.”

Spain’s Foreign Ministry has also rejected any connection between the two men and Spanish intelligence services. In a statement, the Ministry expressed concerns about the men’s well-being and confirmed that the Spanish Embassy in Caracas had filed an official request for consular access to the detainees.

“We are working to ensure that they receive all necessary assistance and to clarify the nature of the charges,” the statement said.

Escalating diplomatic tension between Spain and Venezuela

The incident has occurred at a delicate moment in Spanish-Venezuelan relations, which have been fraught with tension in recent years. Spain has been highly critical of Maduro’s regime, particularly in light of the disputed Venezuelan elections in July, which many in the international community, including Spain, have labelled fraudulent.

Spain’s granting of political asylum to Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González this September has only worsened the strain, with Caracas accusing Madrid of interference in its internal affairs.

Venezuela’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yván Gil, summoned the Spanish ambassador to Caracas last week to protest remarks by Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles, who described Maduro’s government as a “dictatorship.” Maduro’s government responded by recalling its ambassador from Madrid for consultations, raising the prospect of a complete diplomatic breakdown.

This is not the first time this year that Spain has had run-ins with Latin American countries. In May, Spain withdrew its ambassador to Argentina after a spat with right-wing President Javier Milei over his comments about the wife of Spain’s socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

This latest arrest of two Spanish citizens, especially under allegations of a plot to murder the Venezuelan president, adds fuel to the already smouldering diplomatic fire. Venezuela has not provided concrete evidence of the men’s supposed links to the CNI, but the accusations have raised the stakes for both countries.

For the families of Basoa and Martínez, the situation is a terrifying mystery. Martínez’s father said his son had last been in contact on September 2.

“He was in Colombia and planning to return to Venezuela. That’s all we knew. And now this,” he lamented.

Basoa’s relatives share similar concerns. They had no indication that their loved one was involved in any suspicious activity. Both families had been anxiously awaiting news since their disappearance, only to now be confronted with accusations that seem wholly out of character.

Despite the explosive claims, there has been no clarity from Venezuelan authorities about the nature of the men’s alleged confessions. The Spanish Embassy continues to push for more information and consular access, but tensions between the two nations make the process fraught with uncertainty.

Image: Embajada de Venezuela en España

Linea Directa Bottom Article M-Z CAR INSURANCE

Sign up for the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin and get an email with all the week’s news straight to your inbox

Special offer: Subscribe now for 25% off (36.95 euros for 48 Bulletins)