A United States Navy sailor is being detained in Venezuela after traveling to the country while on personal leave, and without authorization from military authorities, officials said.
White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby confirmed the detainment of the sailor during a news briefing.
"My understanding was that this individual was on some sort of personal travel and not on official government business,” Kirby said. “We’re obviously in touch, as appropriate as you’d think we would be, with Venezuelan authorities to try and get more knowledge and information about this.”
The State Department also announced that it is closely following the detention.
It remains unclear why the sailor was detained, but this situation coincides with continuous turmoil between Washington and Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.
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