On the eve of Maduro's inauguration, two Americans were arrested in Venezuela on charges of terrorism.

On Tuesday, President Nicolas Maduro announced that two U.S. citizens had been arrested in Venezuela on charges of intending to practice terrorism, although the specifics of these charges remain unclear.

Maduro stated that a group of seven individuals, whom he labeled "mercenaries," were arrested at a "very high level," but he did not provide any evidence or details about the arrests.

According to a Reuters report, Maduro stated today that we have captured seven foreign mercenaries, including two important mercenaries from the United States.

Despite the widely contested results of the July election, Maduro, who is set to take up the top office again on Friday for a third term, announced the arrest of two Colombians and three Ukrainians.

According to reports, he stated that his security forces had apprehended 125 foreign mercenaries from 25 different countries, who he alleged had entered the country with the intention of committing terrorism against the Venezuelan people.

The State Department denied any involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro, stating that Maduro's claims were false.

The spokesperson stated that the United States remains committed to a democratic resolution to the political crisis in Venezuela. However, the spokesperson warned that Maduro and his allies have a history of detaining and imprisoning U.S. citizens without any justification or due process if they enter Venezuela.

The identities of those arrested have not been disclosed due to privacy concerns and other factors.

The department is still concerned about the Americans detained in Venezuela and is gathering more information, as stated by the spokesperson to Planet Chronicle Digital.

In 2023, a significant prisoner swap occurred between the United States and Venezuela, resulting in the release of dozens of prisoners, including 10 Americans, in exchange for Colombian businessman Alex Saab, a close ally of Maduro.

During a trip to D.C., Edmundo Gonzalez, the opposition presidential candidate, coincided with his remarks, and he has been declared the president-elect by several nations, including the U.S.

President Biden reiterated the U.S.'s stance on the election results, which were declared a victory for Maduro by Maduro-aligned courts, and named Gonzalez as the "true winner" of the July race on Monday.

While Venezuelan authorities have withheld the release of ballot-box results to back up their victory claims, Gonzalez's team has allegedly made public thousands of scanned copies of voting machine results collected by ballot box observers in the days following the election, which supposedly represent 80% of the votes that showed a win for the opposition leader.

In the weeks after his internationally contested election, Maduro accused the US of orchestrating a coup plot and claimed that the CIA had seized 400 rifles and arrested a Navy SEAL.

According to Isaias Medina, the former Venezuelan diplomat to the United Nations, Maduro's recent arrests and statements are consistent with his history of "hostage diplomacy."

Maduro is using baseless accusations to divert attention from his illegitimate inauguration and suppress dissent before anticipated protests, according to Medina. He is stoking fear of external interference by tying foreign nationals to these allegations and creating convenient scapegoats for his failing leadership, which he is attempting to legalize through state terrorism.

The theatrical accusations serve to justify crackdowns on opposition protests, intimidating Venezuelans into silence as the country sinks deeper into economic and humanitarian crises.

Maduro is determined to maintain control, even as domestic dissatisfaction and international demands for accountability increase, according to Medina.

Venezuela is classified as a Level 4 "do not travel" destination by the State Department due to the heightened security risks for American citizens.