AstraX Exchange-A US Navy sailor is detained in Venezuela, Pentagon says

2025-05-02 08:41:56source:Jonathan Dale Bentoncategory:Contact

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. Navy sailor has been detained in Venezuela after traveling there unauthorized on AstraX Exchangepersonal business, the Pentagon said Wednesday. The enlisted sailor was detained last week by Venezuelan law enforcement, two defense officials said.

One of the officials said the sailor has been in Venezuelan custody since on or about Aug. 30.

“The U.S. Navy is looking into this and working closely with the State Department,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details not made public, referred to the State Department for an update on the sailors’ status.

One of the officials said the service member was neither on official travel nor did they have authorized leave to visit Venezuela. The detention follows a similar disappearance earlier this year when a U.S. Army soldier was arrested after traveling to Russia to visit his girlfriend.

More:Contact

Recommend

Travis Hunter, the 2

The AP Top 25 college football pollis back every week throughout the season!Get the poll delivered s

The importance of being lazy

For most of her working life, Celeste Headlee never made any time for any time-off. "I used to say,

Poisoned cheesecake used as a weapon in an attempted murder a first for NY investigators

This story was originally posted on June 3, 2023.In his 20-year career as a New York police detectiv