Several vans with dark windows left El Helicoide prison in Caracas, Venezuela, in the middle of the process of releasing political hostages, according to an X post by @DIFUNDELOYA between 10:45 PM and 11:45 PM UTC on January 10, 2026. The post, shared as breaking news during the reporting window, described the vans departing amid the ongoing release procedure at the facility known for holding political prisoners. This development follows previous U.S. State Department alerts on January 10 urging Americans to leave Venezuela due to colectivos roadblocks and stalled political prisoner releases, as stated in a security advisory reposted by @TravelGov earlier that evening.
