CARACAS. Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González, who claims to have defeated President Nicolás Maduro in last year’s presidential election, said Tuesday that his son-in-law was kidnapped in Venezuela's capital.
González said his son-in-law, Rafael Tudares, was kidnapped Tuesday morning while on his way to drop off González's two grandchildren at a school in Caracas. In a post on X, González said “hooded men, dressed in black” intercepted the vehicle and loaded Tudares “into a gold-colored van.”
González did not provide additional details, including the conditions of his 6- and 7-year-old grandchildren.
The government’s centralized press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
The kidnapping comes as tensions heighten across Venezuela ahead of Friday, when the next presidential term is set to begin.
González, a retired diplomat, represented Venezuela’s main opposition coalition in the July presidential election, which he and Maduro both claim to have won.
González is the midst of a tour of the Americas to try to rally support for his effort to unseat Maduro. He met with U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday at the White House.
Regina Garcia Cano, The Associated Press
