Venezuelan opposition leader seized by armed men after being released from jail

María Corina Machado said Monday that a Venezuelan opposition leader was seized in Caracas shortly after being released from jail. Machado wrote in a post on X that Juan Pablo Guanipa, a key ally, was kidnapped by heavily armed men in civilian clothing in the Los Chorros area of the capital. "We demand his immediate release," she said. Alfredo Romero, the president of the Venezuelan human rights group Foro Penal, said 35 political prisoners were released on Sunday, including Guanipa, who was initially arrested in May. US MOVES FAST TO REOPEN Venezuela EMBASSY AFTER YEARSLONG FREEZE Reuters reported that Venezuelan authorities were seeking court approval to place Guanipa under house arrest. The country’s Public Ministry alleged that he violated the terms of his release but provided no additional details and did not say whether he had been re-arrested. Guanipa’s Primero Justicia party said on X that he was forced into a silver Toyota Corolla during the incident. "We hold Delcy Rodríguez , Jorge Rodríguez, and Diosdado Cabello responsible for any harm to Juan Pablo's life," the party wrote. "We call on the international community for the immediate release of Juan Pablo Guanipa and for an immediate and unconditional end to the persecution of the opposition." The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. TRUMP EMBRACES US INTERVENTION IN Venezuela, OPENS DOOR TO BROADER LATIN AMERICA PUSH Rodríguez has been serving as the interim president of Venezuela since the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores earlier this year. In late January, President Donald Trump said Venezuela was releasing political prisoners at a "rapid rate," praising the move as a "powerful humanitarian gesture" by the country’s leadership. An estimated 687 political prisoners remain in custody in Venezuela as of Feb. 2, according to Foro Penal.