Pentagon: US Navy sailor arrested in Venezuela

Editor's note: This is a developing story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.

A U.S. Navy sailor was arrested in Venezuela after traveling there without authorization for personal reasons, the Pentagon said Wednesday. The sailor was arrested by Venezuelan law enforcement last week, two defense officials said.

One of the officials said the sailor had been in Venezuelan custody since about August 30.

“The U.S. Navy is investigating this and is working closely with the State Department,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose unpublished details, reached out to the State Department for an update on the sailor's status.

One of the officials said the soldier was not on a mission or had approved leave to visit Venezuela. The arrest follows a similar disappearance earlier this year, when a U.S. soldier was arrested after traveling to Russia to visit his girlfriend.