Venezuela arrests six from US, Spain, and the Czech Republic over what it claims is a CIA plot to kill the president.

Venezuela has recently come under significant international pressure over allegations its sitting President Nicolas Maduro has held on to power after the recent election despite losing. 

Venezuela has arrested six foreign nationals over what it claims is an alleged CIA-led plot to kill its president.

The move follows intense international pressure placed on the government of Nicolas Maduro following allegations it falsified results in recent elections to stay in power.

A Venezuelan official said late on Saturday three US citizens, two Spaniards, and a Czech had all been arrested on suspicion of links to alleged plans to destabilize the South American country. 

It stated it was aware of "unconfirmed reports of two additional US citizens detained in Venezuela".

The interior minister of the country, Diosdado Cabello, made public the arrests through state television.

"Any allegations that the United States is involved in an attempt to overthrow Maduro are completely untrue. The United States remains committed to a democratic solution for the Venezuelan political crisis," the statement added.

Mr Cabello named the US serviceman Wilbert Joseph Castaneda Gomez, a member of the US Navy.

The arrests were announced just two days after the United States imposed sanctions on 16 allies of President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, accused of obstructing the disputed 28 July presidential election in Venezuela and committing rights abuses.

This week, for example, the Spanish parliament declared opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez the winner of the election, which angered Maduro's allies who insisted that relations with the country be suspended.

The election outcome sparked nationwide protests, during which hundreds of opposition activists were detained.

Venezuela's Electoral Council, loyal to Mr Maduro, announced that he had prevailed with 52 percent of the vote, but there was no polling station-by-station tally or other breakdown of how votes were cast.

Opposition activists caught authorities off guard by gathering so-called tally sheets from 80% of the country's voting machines.

Those seem to have been published online and claimed that Mr Gonzalez won the ballot by two to one.

Venezuela has come under international criticism over a lack of transparency over the election.

The country's supreme court, which has also long back Mr Maduro, confirmed his victory in August before officials charged Mr Gonzalez with electoral fraud, who flew to Spain last week.

Mr Maduro has refused to produce evidence that he won the election and since taking power in 2013, he has repeatedly said that the US is out to get him.

But this isn't the first time Mr. Maduro's regime has tried to leverage American prisoners to its advantage either.

Late last year, Mr. Maduro made a deal where he freed ten Americans along with a fugitive wanted by the US government in exchange for pardoning a close friend of the Venezuelan president.