FBI and Venezuela’s intelligence agency also reportedly arrest billionaire media mogul Raúl Gorrín at same address
FBI and Venezuela’s intelligence agency also reportedly arrest billionaire media mogul Raúl Gorrín at same address
A close and powerful associate of the deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has reportedly been detained during a joint operation by Venezuela’s intelligence agency and the FBI.
Alex Saab, a wealthy Colombian-Venezuelan businessman long considered Maduro’s frontman, was removed from his position in Venezuela’s government a fortnight after US forces captured his ally on 3 January. In the early hours of Wednesday, the 54-year-old was reportedly detained by members of the Bolivarian national intelligence service (Sebin) at a luxury home in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.
Raúl Gorrín, a billionaire media mogul who owns the Globovisión TV channel, was also reportedly detained at the same address.
There was no immediate confirmation of the arrests from Venezuela’s government but a US official said Saab had been detained as a result of collaboration between US and Venezuelan authorities. The official said they expected Saab to be extradited to the US in the coming days.
