Venezuelan politician Guanipa was released from prison. He was immediately kidnapped.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado announced that her close associate Juan Pablo Guanipa had been kidnapped in Caracas just hours after his release from prison. According to her statement, he was forcibly taken away around midnight by heavily armed men in civilian clothing who arrived in several vehicles.

The incident was also confirmed by Guanipa's son Ramón, who described the incident as an ambush and kidnapping by unknown armed men.

Guanipa was arrested in May after months in hiding, with authorities accusing him of leading a terrorist conspiracy. Shortly after his release, he posted videos on social media calling for the release of other political prisoners and describing the current government as illegitimate.

The case comes at a time of significant political upheaval after the United States attacked Venezuela last month with the aim of detaining longtime leader Nicolás Maduro.

The opposition and human rights organizations have long claimed that the Venezuelan government uses arrests as a tool to suppress dissent.

However, the authorities have not immediately commented on Guanip's disappearance.

(reuters, pir)