Venezuela on Sunday condemned what it said was a military provocation by neighboring Trinidad and Tobago in coordination with the US Central Intelligence Agency, aimed at spurring a full military confrontation with the Latin American nation.
Joint US-Trinidad and Tobago military exercises are currently underway in the Caribbean, and Venezuela said it had captured a group of mercenaries “with direct information from US intelligence” whose aim was to carry out a false-flag attack in the region.
A false flag attack is an operation where an action is performed in such a way that another party appears to be responsible.
“A false flag attack is underway in waters bordering Trinidad and Tobago or from Trinidadian or Venezuelan territory to create a full military confrontation with our country,” Venezuela’s government said in the statement.
The statement, issued by Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, did not provide further details or evidence for the false flag allegations.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump confirmed reports that he authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has previously made allegations of false flag attacks, including a plan to plant explosives in the US Embassy in Caracas in early October.
The US State Department was not immediately available for comment.
Trump has carried out numerous raids on boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific that the administration claims are drug dealers.
The Pentagon escalated its military buildup in the Caribbean this Friday by deploying the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier group.
