via Twitter
An American freelance reporter was deported from Venezuela after being detained overnight by authorities, the Miami Herald and local news station WPLG reports. The National Union of Journalists reportedly told the Herald that military counterintelligence raided Cody Weddle’s home early Tuesday, detaining him and a Venezuelan colleague, Carlos Camacho. Weddle and Camacho’s equipment was reportedly seized in the raid. WPLG reported the “black-clad agents” who conducted the raid had an “order signed by a Venezuelan military judge” as justification for the search, and took Weddle and Camacho away in a Jeep.
WPLG later reported that Weddle was released Wednesday evening, after calling the station at around 7:10 p.m. He is reportedly at an airport waiting for a flight back to the United States after being deported by Venezuelan authorities. Weddle, a 28-year-old Virginia native, had been living in Venezuela since 2014 and writing for outlets like WPLG, ABC, CBC and the Telegraph. This comes after a Univision team, including anchor Jorge Ramos, were detained while interviewing embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.