Andrés Martínez Adasme, 32, and José María Basoa Valdovinos, 35, two Spanish citizens detained in Venezuela accused of being agents of the National Intelligence Center (CNI) and part of a conspiracy to overthrow the government of Nicolás Maduro, are two neighbors from Bilbao with no connection to the secret service, who were in the Caribbean country as tourists. Their families reported them missing to the Ertzaintza on September 9, seeking help to locate them. They had traveled from Madrid to Caracas, Venezuela on August 17 and rented a car that was supposed to be returned on September 5. The last contact with their family was on September 2, after which they were missing.
The Basque Government is in contact with the families of both men to provide support and assistance as needed. The Department of Foreign Affairs of the regional government is maintaining diplomatic channels to stay informed about their situation. The Spanish Embassy in Caracas sent a diplomatic note to the Venezuelan government on Saturday requesting access to the detainees to verify their identities and nationality, understand the charges against them, and provide necessary support.
Both families of the detained men deny any connection to the secret service. The Spanish government also denied any involvement with the CNI, as claimed by the Venezuelan Minister of Interior, Diosdado Cabello. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement reaffirming Spain’s commitment to a peaceful and democratic solution in Venezuela and stating that the detainees are not affiliated with the CNI or any state organization.
Diosdado Cabello, the Venezuelan Minister of Interior, accused Spain of collaborating in a destabilization operation orchestrated by the CIA using violent acts. He claimed that the CNI was recruiting terrorists to come to Venezuela and accused Spain of being deeply involved in the operation against Venezuela. The ongoing crisis between the two countries has escalated with the detention of the two Spanish citizens and Venezuela calling their ambassador in Madrid for consultation and summoning the Spanish ambassador in Caracas to protest against Spain’s “interference”.
The detention of the two Spaniards comes amidst a diplomatic crisis between the two countries. The Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Yván Gil, called his country’s ambassador in Madrid for consultation and summoned the Spanish ambassador in Caracas to protest against the alleged “interference” by the Spanish government. The crisis stems from the asylum granted in Spain to the opposition candidate in the July 28 elections, Edmundo González Urrutia. He arrived in Madrid on a Spanish Air Force plane after the Spanish Congress, led by the PP, recognized him as the winner of the election and president-elect.
