CARACAS (Reuters) -Two U.S. citizens have been arrested in Venezuela, part of a group of seven who President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday branded as "mercenaries," in the latest roundup ahead of the embattled leader's expected inauguration to a new term later this week.

Maduro and his aides have always rejected sanctions by the U.S. and others, saying they are illegitimate measures that amount to an "economic war" designed to cripple Venezuela. H

Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro began a third term as president on Friday, cementing his increasingly authoritarian rule.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro will be sworn in for a third six-year term after a reelection widely viewed as illegitimate and as his administration grows increasingly brazen in cracking down on

Almost no one outside Venezuela, and fewer people in the country, see him as a legitimate leader.