Multiple Americans detained in Venezuela have been released, State Department says

Multiple American citizens who were detained in Venezuela have been released, the State Department said Wednesday — the first to be freed since the U.S. military’s stunning nighttime raid to capture President Nicolás Maduro.

The move was welcomed by a State Department official who said it was “an important step in the right direction by the interim authorities.” However, the official declined to say how many had been freed or identify those released.

The news comes six days after the head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, said that a “significant number” of prisoners, both foreign and Venezuelan, would be released as a gesture to “seek peace” following the capture of Maduro in the early hours of Jan. 3.

Rodríguez is the brother of Venezuela’s President Delcy Rodríguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president before the American attack. Maduro was taken to the U.S. to face drug charges at a New York court. Before the releases began, rights groups said more than 800 political prisoners were being held.

Read more: NBC News