At least four people were arrested in Venezuela linked to a “false flag” scheme by the INC in the midst of the United States military exercises in Trinidad and Tobago, the Venezuelan Minister of the Interior, Diosdado Cabello, reported on Monday.
The Venezuelan government said it dismantled an alleged “criminal cell” linked to the CIA that sought to attack the US ship USS Gravely (DDG-107) docked in Trinidad and Tobago and incriminate the government of Nicolás Maduro.
On Sunday Caracas had already announced the capture of a group of “mercenaries” linked to the CIA.
“I came here and they informed me of three people they captured (…) from the CIA,” Cabello said during a press conference of the ruling United Socialist Party in Caracas.
Previously, he had mentioned the capture of another person linked to the “false flag” operation with one of the ships “that are in that exercise” in Trinidad and Tobago.
“Then they come and delete it from their phones, because they believe that by deleting their phones everything disappears,” he said. “And what we have found is pure gold, CIA, linked to sectors of those who hate Venezuela.”
Earlier, Foreign Minister Yván Gil said in a statement that he informed Port of Spain of this alleged “false flag operation”, a day after the government announced the arrest of a group of “mercenaries” linked to the US intelligence agency.
“In our territory a criminal cell financed by the CIA linked to this covert operation is being dismantled,” said Gil.
donald trump Days ago, it approved covert CIA operations in Venezuela and is studying ground attacks as part of operations against drug trafficking in the Caribbean that include bombings of 10 suspected drug boats, leaving 43 dead.
Venezuela, however, insists that these maneuvers seek the overthrow of Maduro.
The US deployment in the Caribbean consists of seven warshipsto which will be added the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, the largest in the world.
One of those vessels, the USS Gravely (DDG-107), arrived in Port of Spain on Saturday and will remain there until October 30 for joint exercises with Trinidadian forces. Venezuela called its presence a few kilometers from its eastern coast a provocation.
