Venezuela attorney general Tarek Saab said on March 20 that two people close to opposition candidate Maria Corina Machado had been arrested, prompting Machado to call the charges leveled at her team "completely false."
The arrests are set to complicate an already-confused scenario ahead of the July presidential contest. Machado won the opposition's October nominating contest by a landslide, but is barred from registering her candidacy.
Machado has been polling far ahead of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is seeking re-election to another six-year term. Seven other members of Machado's team, including her right-hand Magalli Meda, also have warrants out for their detention.
Washington called the move an attack on civil society and said it was inconsistent with the election guarantees deal inked last year that had led the US to relax some sanctions. Washington has already warned it will allow oil sanction relaxations to expire in April if the socialist government of Maduro does not allow free and fair elections.
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