In Venezuela, U.S. and Ukrainian citizens are accused of plotting a coup.

Maduro made a statement on Tuesday during the swearing-in of reservists mobilized into the armed forces ahead of the presidential inauguration ceremony, scheduled for January 10. The President of Venezuela claimed that the detainees were mercenaries meant to collaborate with opposition leader María Corina Machado. He did not provide further details.

In July, presidential elections were held in Venezuela, where Maduro was declared re-elected. The opposition asserts that he lost the vote to their sole candidate, Edmundo González. Many countries around the world do not recognize Maduro's victory. González has obtained political asylum in Spain, and a reward has been announced for him in Venezuela.

In early December, González stated in an interview with El País that he would be in Venezuela's capital, Caracas, on January 10 to take the oath as president. He is currently in Panama, the newspaper reported. On Tuesday, Venezuelan authorities arrested González's son-in-law while he was taking his children to school. In the evening, another opposition candidate for the presidential elections, Enrique Márquez, was detained, as reported by El País; he reportedly received 0.24 percent of the votes according to official data.

• According to Maduro, in November and December, the country's intelligence services detained 125 foreign mercenaries from 25 nationalities. No additional information about them is provided.