An enlisted American sailor was detained by authorities in Venezuela on Friday and is still being held by the nation, a U.S. official confirmed to Military.com.
The official said Wednesday that the sailor was “not authorized to travel, meaning not on official travel or approved leave” when they were detained. The State Department is working with the Venezuelan authorities to secure the sailor’s release, they said.
This sailor is now the third enlisted service member to be held by a hostile country in the span of just over a year: A U.S. soldier was briefly detained in North Korea, and another soldier is imprisoned in Russia. The news of the sailor’s detention also comes just days after the Department of Justice announced the seizure of a private jet that was used by Venezuela’s leader, President Nicolás Maduro.
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The sailor’s detention, which was first reported by CNN, seems to be the latest in a series of events that has showcased the growing tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela. Those tensions have been building since Venezuela’s July 28 election between Maduro and Edmundo González, which officials from several countries say was stolen by Maduro.
On Monday, a judge aligned with Maduro’s government issued an arrest warrant for González after the opposition leader published voting tallies claiming to show Maduro lost the election,…
