A United States Navy sailor has been detained in Venezuela, the Department of Defense announced.
The Pentagon revealed the news Wednesday, saying the unidentified enlisted sailor was traveling unauthorized for personal business.
According to the Associated Press, he is believed to have been taken into custody on or around Aug. 30.
“The U.S. Navy is looking into this and working closely with the State Department,” the Pentagon said in a statement to AP.
Officials speaking anonymously to AP said the sailor did not have authorization to visit Venezuela.
“We are aware of reports that a US Navy Sailor was detained on or about August 30, 2024, by Venezuelan law enforcement authorities while on personal travel to Venezuela,” a defense official told CNN.
“We refer you to the State Department for additional questions.”
The White House said it is communicating with Venezuela to resolve the situation.
“We’re obviously in touch, as appropriate as you think we would be with Venezuela authorities to try to get more knowledge and information about this,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.
Will this sailor be returned home?
The detainment follows an increase in tensions between Venezuela and the United States, and South America in general.
In February, Venezuela began deploying military forces along the border of an area it claims which is currently held by Guyana.
Venezuela’s coveting of the Essequibo region may be largely due to the oil reserves in the area, a surplus that would add to the country’s massive and largely untapped petrochemical holdings.
But being involved in the oil industry is not a guarantee of safety under the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
In March, a former Venezuelan air force pilot and current employee of petroleum giant Chevron was arrested near Venezuela’s oil hub of Barcelona, in the country’s east.
The man, Alejandro Gonzalez, is accused by the government of peddling national security secrets and obstructing justice.
Gonzalez’s ties to a prominent human rights attorney appear to be the more likely cause behind the arrest.
All Americans have been warned not to travel to Venezuela by the State Department, which has put out a Level 4 travel advisory on the country.
“The Department has determined there is a high risk of wrongful detention of U.S. nationals in Venezuela,” the State Department’s warning reads.
“Security forces have detained U.S. citizens for up to five years. The U.S. government is not generally notified of the detention of U.S. citizens in Venezuela or granted access to U.S. citizen prisoners there.”
The department offered some sobering advice to those who do decide to disregard the government’s warnings and travel to Venezuela, including:
- “Be prepared for the high risk of indefinite detention without consular access.
- “Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney.
- “Develop a communication plan with family and/or your employer or host organization. Establish a ‘proof of life’ protocol with your loved ones, so that if you are taken hostage, your loved ones know specific questions (and answers) to ask the hostage-takers to be sure that you are alive (and to rule out a hoax).
- “Have a contingency plan in place that does not rely on U.S. government assistance.”
