Nicolas Maduro (AP image)
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday announced that the authorities had foiled a “false flag operation” by local terrorists who allegedly tried to plant explosives at the US embassy in Caracas. He claimed the attack was meant to worsen tensions between Venezuela and the United States over drug trafficking issues.Speaking during his weekly television program, Maduro said two unnamed sources had reported that a local terrorist group attempted to place an explosive device at the US embassy to provoke a diplomatic crisis with Washington, news agency AFP reported. Jorge Rodríguez, head of Venezuela’s delegation for dialogue with the United States earlier said that Caracas had warned Washington about a “serious threat” from extremists who allegedly tried to plant “lethal explosives” at the embassy.”We have reinforced security measures at this diplomatic mission,” Rodríguez said.The Venezuelan government, led by Maduro’s socialist party, frequently accuses the opposition of plotting against it. Diplomatic relations between Caracas and Washington were severed in 2019 and the US embassy has since remained largely empty, except for a few local employees.Maduro said on Monday night that the embassy remains under protection “despite all the differences we have had with the US government.” The United States has made Venezuela a key focus in its campaign against drug trafficking, though most drugs entering the US are produced in or transported through Mexico.Under President Donald Trump, the US deployed warships and aircraft to the Caribbean and carried out airstrikes against small boats off Venezuela’s coast, claiming they were transporting drugs to the United States.At least 21 people were killed in those strikes. Trump defended the operations, saying they had drastically reduced drug smuggling through the Caribbean.“We’re stopping drugs at a level that nobody’s ever seen,” Trump said during a speech to US Navy sailors in Virginia on Sunday.Maduro, however, has accused the US of using anti-drug operations as a cover for seeking regime change in Venezuela.In response, Caracas has increased troop deployments along its borders and enlisted thousands of civilians into a militia force.The United States did not recognize Maduro’s 2024 re-election, which was rejected by Venezuela’s opposition and much of the international community as fraudulent.During Trump’s first term, Washington backed an opposition leader as Venezuela’s interim president and imposed heavy sanctions on the country’s vital oil industry. Despite these measures, Maduro retained power with military support.
Rumors about opposition leader Machado:
For several weeks, social media rumors have suggested that opposition leader María Corina Machado, who went into hiding after last year’s disputed election is being sheltered at the US embassy in Caracas.Washington recognizes former senator Eduardo González Urrutia, a candidate supported by Machado, as Venezuela’s legitimate president.According to opposition figures, González Urrutia won last year’s election by a wide margin against Maduro. Facing possible arrest after declaring victory, he fled to Spain late last year.González Urrutia and Machado have expressed support for US military pressure on Maduro’s government, calling it a “necessary step” toward restoring democracy in Venezuela.
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