Venezuela Halts Flights from Colombia Following Arrest of Alleged Mercenaries

Venezuela has suspended flights from Colombia after arresting over 30 people allegedly plotting to destabilize the country ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary election. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello claimed the group, including Venezuelans and foreigners from Colombia, Mexico, and Ukraine, planned attacks on embassies and public sites. He linked them to the political opposition, though offered no evidence. Colombia said it received no official notice. The flight suspension lasts until May 26. Meanwhile, international concerns grow over political repression in Venezuela following the disputed July 2024 election, with reports of arbitrary arrests, disappearances, and suppression of opposition figures and election workers.