American journalist detained in Venezuela released, mother says
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cody Weddle, an American journalist based in Caracas, Venezuela, was reportedly detained by President Nicolas Maduro's regime on Wednesday. (WPLG via AP)
An American journalist who was detained in Venezuela on Wednesday by government officials has been released.
The mother of Cody Weddle, a 29-year-old Virginia native who is based in Caracas, confirmed to Fox News that Weddle messaged mother Sherry Weddle, along with his sister, on Facebook, to tell them he was alright.
Weddle, who has lived in the Venezuelan capital city since 2014, and has worked as a freelancer for multiple news stations and newspapers, including the Miami Herald, Florida’s WPLG Local 10 and ABC, told his mother he's at an airport in Venezuela and is hoping to travel to Miami on Thursday morning.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}UNIVISION ANCHOR JORGE RAMOS EXPLAINS WHY VENEZUELA'S MADURO DETAINED HIM
The U.S. State Department confirmed earlier Wednesday that it was "aware of and deeply concerned with reports that another U.S. journalist has been detained" by President Nicolas Maduro.
"Being a journalist is not a crime," spokesperson Kimberly Breier tweeted. "We demanded the journalist's immediate release, unharmed."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Weddle was covering opposition leader Juan Guaido's "triumphant" return to Venezuela for WPLG when the country's counterintelligence military raided his apartment around 8 a.m., the news station reported.
Weddle, and his colleague, Carlos Camacho, were detained, according to the Venezuelan Union of Journalists (SNTP). The team’s equipment was also seized.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The journalist last made contact with WLPG employees on Tuesday afternoon, and his last on-air report was on Monday, detailing opposition leader Juan Guaido’s return to the South American country after defying a travel ban.
Weddle's reported detainment by Venezuelan officials comes days after Univision journalist Jorge Ramos and five others with his team were briefly detained after they interviewed Maduro at the Miraflores Palace.
Ramos said he showed the disputed president footage of hungry children picking through garbage in the street.
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Florida Sen. Rick Scott called on the Maduro regime to immediately release the journalist, and tweeted "the U.S. will not stand for this kind of intimidation!"
Separately, Vice President Mike Pence announced that the U.S. plans to revoke 77 visas held by officials in the Maduro government or their relatives as it seeks to increase pressure on Maduro to give up power. The move comes after the U.S. revoked 49 visas last week and has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions as part of a campaign to force Maduro to turn over power to Guaido.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Kathleen Reuschle and Lucia Suarez Sang and The Associated Press contributed to this report.