A US Navy sailor was detained Friday while visiting Venezuela on personal business.
The sailor, a petty officer first class, was not on approved leave. Nor was he undertaking official travel.
US media have quoted Defense Department officials to the effect that the sailor is a former Navy SEAL who had previously gotten himself into trouble and was no longer authorized to wear the Trident, the SEAL symbol.
The Nicolas Maduro regime often arrests Americans on charges valid or trumped-up with the intention of using them to trade for Venezuelan operatives held by the US or to obtain relief from US sanctions.
On 20 December, it released 10 imprisoned Americans in a swap for Colombian Alex Saab, a close associate of Maduro who laundered millions of dollars for him and was in US custody.
At least four of the Americans had been wrongfully detained.
Washington is in the process of stiffening economic sanctions against the regime in response to its steal of the 28 July presidential election.
On Monday, the US seized Maduro’s presidential plane while it was in the Dominican Republic on the grounds that the aircraft had been fraudulently obtained from a US company using shell instrumentalities.
Travel should not be undertaken to Venezuela at this time.
With relations with Washington and European countries at an all-time low, Americans and other foreigners are at risk of wrongful detention.
Travelers with military or law-enforcement backgrounds face elevated risks.
