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US Navy sailor detained by law enforcement in Venezuela

The US has warned Americans against travelling to the South American nation, and tensions are high over Maduro’s disputed election win

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People hold Venezuelan flags as they protest against President Nicolas Maduro and the results of the recent election on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York in August. Photo: AFP

A US Navy sailor has been detained by law enforcement in Venezuela, a US official said Wednesday, at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Caracas.

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The sailor is the latest in a series of US military personnel to be held recently in countries with which the United States has strained ties, after others were detained in North Korea and Russia.

“We’re tracking a US Navy sailor was detained in Venezuela by law enforcement in that country,” the official said on condition of anonymity, without providing further details on the detention.

Another US official said the country’s Navy was looking into reports that a sailor was detained around August 30 “while on personal travel to Venezuela”.

Tensions between the United States and the South American country are high, centred around disputed July 28 elections that saw incumbent President Nicolas Maduro declared the winner.

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The announced result sparked protests in which more than two dozen people were killed and more than 2,400 arrested, with the opposition saying it won in a landslide.

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