CARACAS. Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González, who claims to have defeated President Nicolás Maduro in last year’s presidential election, said Tuesday that his son-in-law was kidnapped in Venezuela’s capital.

González said his son-in-law, Rafael Tudares, was kidnapped Tuesday morning while on his way to drop off his two grandchildren at a school in Caracas. In a post on X, González said “hooded men, dressed in black” intercepted the vehicle and loaded Tudares “into a gold-colored van.”

González did not provide additional details, including the conditions of his 6- and 7-year-old grandchildren.

The government’s centralized press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

The kidnapping comes as tensions heighten across Venezuela ahead of Friday, when the next presidential term is set to begin.

González, a retired diplomat, represented Venezuela’s main opposition coalition in the July presidential election, which he and Maduro both claim to have won.

González is the midst of a tour of the Americas to try to rally support for his effort to unseat Maduro. He met with U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday at the White House.