Argentina's foreign ministry confirmed on Sunday that an Argentine serviceman detained in Venezuela for more than a year has been released and has already departed the country.
The released individual, identified as Nahuel Gallo, serves in Argentina's Gendarmerie. Gallo was taken into custody in late 2024 in an episode that heightened diplomatic strains between Argentine President Javier Milei and Venezuela's then-President Nicolas Maduro. The report notes that Maduro was captured in January by the United States and transferred to New York.
Buenos Aires had previously described Gallo's detention as arbitrary and had brought the matter before an international court.
"I just spoke with Nahuel Gallo and I can inform you that he is already flying to Argentina. We are deeply moved. Victor will be able to hug his father in a few hours."
The statement above was posted on social media by Gallo's wife, Maria Alexandra Gomez, conveying her immediate reaction and confirming that he was en route back to Argentina.
Context within the public accounts is limited to those facts: the timing of the arrest in late 2024, the Argentine government's characterization of the arrest as arbitrary, its elevation of the matter to an international tribunal, and the subsequent confirmation of Gallo's release and departure from Venezuela.
Officials in Argentina framed the episode as one that aggravated bilateral tensions between Buenos Aires and Caracas. The timing noted in public reporting places Gallo's detention before the capture and transfer of Nicolas Maduro to the United States in January.
At this stage, available public statements emphasize the human and diplomatic dimensions: the soldier's return to Argentina and the domestic reaction from his family, and the earlier legal challenge lodged by the Argentine government. Details about the terms of his release, any negotiations that led to it, or the legal process while he was detained were not included in the public confirmation.
Given the limited public record in the statements released so far, observers will need to rely on further official disclosures for a fuller account of the circumstances surrounding both the detention and the release.