Two Spanish nationals who were arrested in Venezuela are not linked to the Spanish secret services and Madrid is not involved in any plan to politically destabilize the South American country, a Spanish Foreign Ministry source said today.

Three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech were arrested in Venezuela on suspicion of plotting to destabilize the Latin American country, the Venezuelan interior minister announced Saturday.

“Spain absolutely denies and rejects any suggestion that it is involved in a political destabilization operation in Venezuela,” the Spanish foreign ministry source said.

“The government has confirmed that the (two Spanish citizens) arrested do not belong to the national intelligence service or another state agency. Spain defends a democratic and peaceful solution to the situation in Venezuela,” the source said.

The arrests could worsen Venezuela’s already strained relations with Spain and the US following July’s disputed presidential election.

Venezuela’s Interior Minister Cabejo said at a press conference yesterday that the two Spaniards were allegedly linked to the Spanish secret services and planned to assassinate a mayor.

It named them as Jose Maria Basoa and Andres Martinez Andasne, while state television broadcast their photos.

Cabejo also charged three Americans and a Czech with involvement in terrorist acts, including plots to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro and other officials.

Yesterday the State Department announced that “any allegation of US involvement in a plan to overthrow Maduro is categorically false

A spokesman for the US State Department said on Saturday night that it had been informed of the “arrest” of a “US serviceman” in Venezuela and referred to “unconfirmed information of the detention of two other US citizens”.

A Spanish foreign ministry official told Reuters news agency that Madrid had asked Caracas for more information on the case. The Spanish embassy has sent a verbal communication to the Venezuelan government asking for access to the detained citizens in order to verify their identity and nationality and to find out what exactly they are accused of,” said the source of the Spanish Foreign Ministry on condition of anonymity.

The two Spaniards were arrested while taking pictures in the city of Puerto Ayacucho, Venezuela’s interior minister said.

On Thursday, Venezuela recalled its ambassador to Spain for consultations, while calling on the Spanish ambassador to explain to the foreign ministry after Spain’s foreign ministry declared Maduro a “dictatorship”.

Caracas was also angered by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s decision to meet opposition candidate in Venezuela’s presidential election, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who has been granted political asylum in Madrid.