American Navy Sailor Detained in Venezuela
An American Navy sailor has been detained in Venezuela while on personal travel, CBS News reports, citing US officials who confirmed the incident.
The circumstances surrounding the detention remain unclear, but officials have stated that the sailor was not on authorized leave or official travel to Venezuela at the time.
The sailor, identified as a petty officer first class, is a former Navy SEAL, assigned to a West Coast team. Sources revealed that the sailor is no longer authorized to wear the Trident insignia, a symbol of a qualified SEAL.
Dave Madden, a former Navy SEAL officer and Afghanistan veteran, noted the rarity of a SEAL being stripped of the Trident. He suggested that such an action usually signifies “a pretty egregious thing” on the part of the sailor.
Venezuela’s recent elections, which kept President Nicolas Maduro in power, have been disputed by the Biden administration, who cited tampering with results and widespread repression. The US has taken a hard stance against Maduro, recently seizing his plane, the equivalent of Air Force One, over alleged sanctions violations.
This marks the third high-profile detention of a US service member in a country with strained relations with the US in just over a year. Army Private Travis King was detained after crossing into North Korea in July 2023, followed by Army Staff Sgt. Gordon Black’s detention in Russia in May.
King was released after two months in North Korean custody and faces a court-martial in Texas this month. He is expected to plead guilty to desertion. Black, meanwhile, was sentenced by a Russian court to almost four years in prison.
