More than 50 people have been arrested in Venezuela in recent days over an alleged violent plot against the country's regional and parliamentary elections.
"Today we have already captured more than 50 mercenaries who entered the country to plant bombs or carry out violent attacks," President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday during the closing of the electoral campaign of the Chavista alliance Gran Polo Patriotico Simon Bolivar in Caracas.
Maduro, who was sworn in last January for a third consecutive six-year term after his controversial re-election in 2024, said the alleged mercenaries were linked to an operation directed by the "death throes of fascism," although he did not provide further details.
The president thanked the members of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) and the various police agencies for "the perfect plan to guarantee peace".
According to authorities, as of Monday, 38 alleged mercenaries had been arrested, of whom 17 were foreigners and 21 were Venezuelans, including some who had left the Caribbean country and "were returning".
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello on Monday said the plot included "attacks" against embassies, police stations, hospitals, petrol stations and national electricity grid facilities, as well as against "personalities from both the revolution (Chavismo) and the opposition," especially opposition candidates in the elections.
Cabello also announced the suspension of all flights from Colombia, denouncing the arrival in Venezuela of alleged mercenaries from that neighbouring country, including Colombian, Mexican, and Ukrainian citizens. This measure is planned to last until Monday.
The Colombian government also announced on Thursday the temporary closure of its border with Venezuela between Friday and Monday.
This week, the FANB deployed more than 412,000 military personnel throughout the country to protect facilities and electoral materials.
On Sunday, 569 positions will be elected, including 285 members of parliament, 24 governors, and 260 regional legislators, in elections rejected by the largest opposition coalition, which denounced "fraud" in the 2024 presidential elections.