Two US citizens have been arrested in Venezuela, what President Nicolas Maduro said were part of a group of seven "mercenaries", Reuters reported, citing the leader as saying on state television.
Maduro, who said the detained US citizens were "at a very high level", did not provide further details or evidence of the arrests.
"Just today we have captured seven foreign mercenaries, including two important mercenaries from the United States," said Maduro, who will take office for a third term on Friday after a disputed election in July last year that the opposition says it won by a wide margin.
Maduro also said those detained included two Colombians and three Ukrainians.
Last month, the Venezuelan government released dozens of prisoners, including 10 Americans, after months of negotiations between Caracas and Washington, and the United States released a close ally of the president, Colombian businessman Alex Saab.