Venezuelan police have launched a search for collaborators following the arrest of authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro by U.S. special forces, according to a decree declaring a state of emergency.

The decree, which came into force on Saturday but was made public in full on Monday, said all police units at the federal, state, and municipal levels had been instructed to look for individuals who supported the U.S. operation.

Earlier, several U.S. media outlets reported that the U.S. military appeared to have received assistance on the ground during the operation.

According to the reports, one person within Maduro’s close circle is alleged to have continually passed on information about his whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s journalists’ union, the National Union of Press Workers (SNTP), said 14 reporters had been detained in the interim.

The organisation later said all journalists had since been released. (dpa/NAN)