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(REUTERS) – A U.S. citizen who had been detained for months in Venezuela is back in the United States, U.S. President Donald Trump envoy Richard Grenell said on Tuesday, after the freed man’s family said he had been handed over to U.S. authorities.
“Joe St. Clair is back in America,” Grenell said in a post on X, adding he had met Venezuelan officials in “a neutral country” earlier in the day to negotiate.
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Earlier on Tuesday, Venezuela Information Minister Freddy Nazareth Nanez said in a message to Reuters that Air Force veteran Joseph St. Clair had been released to Grenell on the Caribbean island of Antigua.
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Grenell had met there with Jorge Rodriguez, the head of Venezuela’s ruling party-allied legislature, two sources told Reuters.
“This news came suddenly, and we are still processing it – but we are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude,” St. Clair’s parents said in a statement.
The family’s statement said St. Clair had been wrongly detained in Venezuela since November 2024.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the White House.
The sources said Grenell had offered to extend by 60 days the wind-down period for a license allowing U.S. oil company Chevron (CVX.N), opens new tab to operate in the country. It had been set to expire on May 27.
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Bloomberg originally reported the meeting and Grenell’s offer on Tuesday, citing a single, unnamed source.
The 60-day extension would need to be approved by the U.S. Treasury Department and State Department.
If granted, the extension would not necessarily lead to the resumption of its exports of Venezuelan oil to the U.S.
Venezuela’s state-owned PDVSA canceled cargoes to the company in April over payment uncertainty, a situation that has not been resolved. Chevron must pay royalties, taxes and a portion of its joint ventures’ operating expenses in Venezuela in order to get access to crude cargoes.
Treasury did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the possible extension.
Grenell in January returned from a meeting with Maduro in Caracas with six American citizens, who had been held in Venezuela.00:48Members of Mexico City mayor’s team killed in shooting
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Reporting by Vivian Sequera in Caracas and Marianna Parraga in Houston, additional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Timothy Gardner in Washington Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb and Sarah Morland Editing by Sandra Maler
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Wow, Antigua playing a quiet but important diplomatic role here.
Antigua turn handover point now? Big moves gwan behind the scenes.
Mi never expect dat—Antigua in the middle of US-Venezuela business?
Yuh see how quiet dem keep it? By time we hear, it done gone through.
Did this involve Antigua’s foreign ministry directly? Curious about the logistics.
Grateful this didn’t turn into any kind of international drama.
Calypso Shanti sang,”‘Anything happen anywhere bet you life, we in dey, we in dey, we in dey”. He should get a knighthood for such a profound and timeless calypso social commentary classic
Nothing is for free
We help out the U.S by getting their man back, while at the same managed the returned of one of our own, missing and presume dead for over 32yrs, big-big diplomatic action.
By the way is there a phone on the person of this lady? If so along with all this social media etc, the interest of getting in touch with your family or even Grays farm friend and tell them you’re alive and well, never cross your mind?
So did both these people arrive on the same private jet from Venezuela?
Now me understand, Gaston romanticize himself as some hero while it was a USA political affair, he use the moment to hitch a ride on probably a USA military plane for this purported lost Antiguan since he was briefed by the defence force and diplomatic routes of an American prisoner swap with Venezuela for concessions against the USA embargo. Cool man, don’t make it look like you are the hero again Gaston because the USA official see you as irrelevant or a mere marionette.
Well Tuesday was indeed a day of history making in Antigua. Prisoner swap, missing person returned home. This sounds very calculated. Whats really going on
This administration said they will be transparent, but they can’t, because there is just too much out there to expose.
So Gatson Browne was busy celebrating and dangling his supposed exitment for the return of the missing lady, all the while he’s making big secretive negotiations behind the scenes.
So why didn’t we hear about this Gatson? Yep, I guess you would say that it’s confidential as well, the same way the Antigua Airways, Lait2020 deal, and oh yea, the Alpha Nero deal were all confidential.
Infact everything Gatson does is confidential until it comes to the UPP affairs, where you run his mouth none stop on his morning show.
This government will never be transparent, because they simply can’t..
But hey, they have to tell y’all something, so they feed you the lies.