Maduro ally Alex Saab arrested in joint US-Venezuelan operation, official says

Venezuelan authoritative Alex Saab, a erstwhile businessman and adjacent state of captured erstwhile Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, was arrested successful the Latin American state connected Wednesday arsenic portion of a associated cognition betwixt the U.S. and Venezuela, according to a U.S. instrumentality enforcement official.

Saab, 54, who had antecedently been held successful the U.S., is expected to beryllium extradited to the U.S. successful the coming days, the U.S. authoritative told Reuters.

A lawyer for Saab, Luigi Giuliano, was cited successful the Colombian paper El Espectador aboriginal connected Wednesday, denying the apprehension arsenic "fake news." Journalists aligned with Venezuela's authorities besides made societal media posts denying that Saab had been arrested.

Giuliano told Venezuelan quality tract TalCual that Saab whitethorn marque an quality to refute the apprehension allegations himself but was consulting with the authorities astir what had happened.

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Venezuelan authoritative Alex Saab was arrested successful a associated U.S.-Venezuela operation. (REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)

Venezuela's apical lawmaker, Jorge Rodríguez, did not corroborate oregon contradict the reports during a property conference, saying helium had nary accusation concerning the imaginable arrest.

This comes aft the U.S. cognition to onslaught Venezuela and apprehension Maduro, and the Trump administration's consequent seizing of lipid tankers from the country.

Saab's apprehension would suggest a caller level of collaboration betwixt U.S. and Venezuelan authorities nether the authorities of interim President Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's erstwhile deputy, who presently controls Venezuela's instrumentality enforcement agencies and actions.

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Businessman Alex Saab is expected to beryllium extradited to the U.S. successful the coming days. (Pedro Rances Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The U.S. authoritative highlighted the value of Rodriguez's practice successful the associated operation.

Raul Gorrin, the caput of Venezuela's Globovision TV network, was besides arrested successful the operation, the authoritative said.

Saab, who was calved successful Colombia, was antecedently detained successful the African federation of Cape Verde successful 2020 and held successful the U.S. for much than 3 years connected bribery charges. He was yet granted clemency in speech for the merchandise of Americans held successful Venezuela.

Before helium was granted clemency, U.S. officials had charged Saab with taking astir $350 cardinal retired of Venezuela done the U.S. arsenic portion of a bribery strategy connected to Venezuela's state-controlled speech rate.

Venezuelan authoritative Alex Saab is simply a adjacent state of captured erstwhile Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. (Gabriela Oraa / AFP) (Photo by GABRIELA ORAA/AFP via Getty Images)

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Saab denied the allegations and appealed to person the charges dismissed connected grounds of diplomatic immunity. An appeals tribunal had not ruled connected Saab's entreaty by the clip the captive swap went through.

When helium returned to Venezuela astatine the extremity of 2023, Maduro praised Saab's loyalty to the country's socialist gyration and called him a nationalist hero.

Maduro aboriginal appointed Saab arsenic manufacture minister, a presumption helium held until past month, erstwhile helium was dismissed by Rodriguez pursuing the apprehension of the country's erstwhile leader.

Reuters contributed to this report.