Venezuela claimed it captured a “mercenary group” linked to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on Sunday, and accused them of aiming to spark a military conflict with the South American country.
“A false flag attack is underway in waters bordering Trinidad and Tobago or from Trinidadian or Venezuelan territory to generate a full military confrontation with our country,” Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said in a statement.
Rodriguez claimed the mercenary group was captured “with direct information of the American intelligence agency, CIA.”
The Venezuelan official did not provide any evidence to substantiate her wild claims, including the number of people captured, where they were from, what was found on them and what they were allegedly plotting.
Rodriguez likened the purported plot to the 1898 explosion of the USS Maine off the coast of Cuba and the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident near Vietnam – the precipitating causes of the Spanish-American and Vietnam wars, respectively.
The White House did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The accusation from Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro’s regime comes as the Trump administration has ramped up military operations aimed at countering drug cartels linked to the socialist South American strongman.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth deployed the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Caribbean Sea last week, where it will join several other high-powered Navy ships already conducting operations in international waters.
Joint military exercises between the US and Trinidad and Tobago are currently underway.
President Trump confirmed reports earlier this month that he authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela.
The president also hinted at targeting drug cartels over land last week.
The US military has carried out at least 10 airstrikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean since last month, killing more than 30 suspected narco-terrorists.
Thousands of troops and highly advanced F-35 fighter jets have also been deployed to the region.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration put out a $50 million bounty on Maduro, who is believed by the US to be the leader of Venezuelan drug-trafficking groups.
The dictator has accused the Trump administration of seeking regime change in Venezuela, and earlier this month, he alleged the US was planning to bomb the US Embassy in Caracas as part of a false flag attack.
With Post Wires
