Colombian businessman Alex Saab – who was detained and later released in the United States – was arrested on Wednesday, February 4, as part of a joint operation between Washington and Caracas, according to a US official told the Reuters news agency. However, Saab's lawyer, who in the past was appointed by Chavismo as Minister of Industry, assured that the news is "false" and that Saab remains at his residence in the Venezuelan capital.

First modification: 02/05/2026 - 13:40 Last modification: 02/05/2026 - 20:32

Where is Alex Saab located? The Colombian businessman, of Lebanese origin, and a close collaborator of the then Administration of Nicolás Maduro was arrested in Venezuela, according to a US official told the Reuters news agency, on Wednesday, February 4.

The source indicated that the alleged capture was part of a joint operation between authorities in Washington and Caracas.

Likewise, the Colombian station 'Caracol Radio', which cited "intelligence sources in the United States", reported that Saab "would have been captured in Venezuela for extradition" to US territory.

However, neither the United States Department of Justice nor the White House have commented on the matter.

The France 24 correspondent in Caracas, Daniela Zambrano, who consulted sources from the Venezuelan Prosecutor's Office, highlighted that no authority in that country has confirmed the alleged arrest.

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Saab's lawyer, Luigi Giuliano, told the Colombian newspaper 'El Espectador' that this is "fake news."

"It is simply not true that he has been arrested (...) Today he wants to meet with the president to clarify the matter," said Giuliano, who added that there were no charges against Saab.

The president of the Venezuelan Assembly, the country's legislative body, Jorge Rodríguez, neither denied nor confirmed the reports during a press conference, where he limited himself to responding that it is a matter outside his jurisdiction and that he had no information about the possible arrest.

Read alsoThe interim president of Venezuela dismisses a minister accused of being Maduro's front man

Who is Alex Saab and what is his link with Chavismo?

Saab, 54, was born in Colombia and had become known as a businessman.

However, later, in 2020, his name gained notoriety as a close ally of the then Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, when he was detained in Cape Verde by the United States.

At that time, the Maduro Administration assured that it was a Venezuelan diplomat.

Saab was captured for more than three years in US territory, on charges of bribery, and was accused of being a front man for Maduro, but in December 2023 he received clemency, when he was released in exchange for US citizens who were detained by Caracas.

In October 2024, Maduro appointed him Minister of Industry. "I appointed Alex Saab as the new Minister of Popular Power for Industry and National Production, I am sure that with his great management capacity and commitment to our people, he will promote the development of the entire industrial system of Venezuela within the framework of the process of building the new economic model," indicated the Chavista leader at that time.

However, last January, days after Maduro's capture, the interim president removed Saab from office. The decision came amid pressure from the Donald Trump Administration, who after the capture of the former president and his wife, Cilia Flores, assured that he would control Venezuela, mainly its oil industry.

Now, if Saab's new arrest is confirmed, it would be a drastic advance a month after the US attacks in several cities in Venezuela that ended with the capture of Maduro, transferred to New York to answer for alleged drug trafficking crimes.

Also, it would suggest a new level of collaboration between the authorities of the United States and Venezuela, currently under the Government of the interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice president.

Read alsoA month without Maduro: five keys to Venezuela's turnaround under the Trump-Rodríguez formula

With Reuters, EFE and local media

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