The United States has urged its citizens to leave Venezuela immediately amid reports that armed paramilitaries are trying to 'track' American citizens, a week after the capture of the South American country's president, Nicolás Maduro.
In a security alert sent on Saturday, the State Department said there were reports of armed members of pro-regime militias, known as "colectivos," setting up checkpoints and searching vehicles for evidence that the people traveling were American citizens or supporters of the country.
"US citizens in Venezuela should remain vigilant and exercise caution when traveling by car," the alert added, urging citizens to leave immediately now that some international flights from Venezuela have resumed, foreign media write, according to Telegraph.
Speaking to the New York Times last week, Donald Trump said he would like to visit Venezuela in the future after claiming the US was "running" the South American country after toppling its leaders in a deadly nighttime raid in Caracas.
"I think at some point it will be safe," the US president told reporters.
But the State Department's alert revealed how volatile the situation remains after last weekend's special forces raid, during which dozens of people were killed.
While many Venezuelan opponents of the Maduro regime have celebrated his capture by the US, government supporters have taken to the streets to denounce his surrender as an imperialist act of aggression.
On the other hand, responding to the security alert, the Venezuelan foreign ministry said in a statement that the State Department's warning was "based on fabricated narratives aimed at creating a perception of danger that does not exist."
However, I note The Guardian, journalists and activists in Caracas have seen members of rifle-wielding “colectivos” roaming the Venezuelan capital on motorcycles and setting up checkpoints around the city.
The roads connecting Caracas to its western border are monitored by dozens of military and police checkpoints.
State Department officials visited Caracas on Friday as part of what is believed to be preparations for the reopening of the U.S. embassy there. Maduro's successor, acting President Delcy Rodríguez, has called for improved relations with Washington despite the kidnapping of her ally. /Telegraph/
