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*Venezuela begins ''Bolivarian Shield'' military response.
*25 arrest warrants are issued, including against Jordan Goudreau, Juan Jose Rendón and Sergio Vergara, on 8 May.<ref>{{cite news |title=El régimen de Nicolás Maduro imputó “por terrorismo y conspiración” a dos estadounidenses y emitió otras 25 órdenes de captura por las incursiones en Venezuela |url=https://www.infobae.com/america/venezuela/2020/05/08/el-regimen-de-maduro-imputo-por-terrorismo-y-conspiracion-a-dos-estadounidenses-y-emitio-otras-25-ordenes-de-captura-por-las-incursiones-en-venezuela/ |accessdate=9 May 2020 |agency=[[Infobae]] |date=8 May 2020}}</ref>
*25 arrest warrants are issued, including against Jordan Goudreau, Juan Jose Rendón and Sergio Vergara, on 8 May.<ref>{{cite news |title=El régimen de Nicolás Maduro imputó “por terrorismo y conspiración” a dos estadounidenses y emitió otras 25 órdenes de captura por las incursiones en Venezuela |url=https://www.infobae.com/america/venezuela/2020/05/08/el-regimen-de-maduro-imputo-por-terrorismo-y-conspiracion-a-dos-estadounidenses-y-emitio-otras-25-ordenes-de-captura-por-las-incursiones-en-venezuela/ |accessdate=9 May 2020 |agency=[[Infobae]] |date=8 May 2020}}</ref>
| combatant1 = {{Flag|Venezuela}}
| combatant1 = {{Flag|Venezuela}}

Revision as of 17:57, 9 May 2020

Operation Gideon
Part of the Crisis in Venezuela and the Venezuelan presidential crisis

Top to bottom:
Venezuelan authorities intercepting a boat; Venezuelan soldiers patrolling the coast; Mercenaries being arrested by the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN)
Date3–4 May 2020
Location
Venezuela
Result

Plot foiled

  • 25 arrest warrants are issued, including against Jordan Goudreau, Juan Jose Rendón and Sergio Vergara, on 8 May.[3]
Belligerents

 Venezuela

Support:

Silvercorp USA (Jordan Goudreau)

  • Venezuelan dissidents

Support:

Commanders and leaders

Nicolás Maduro

Jordan Goudreau

Strength
25,000[4] 300 (planned)[5]
Casualties and losses
Unknown
Crisis in Venezuela
Causes
Effects
Events
Elections
Protests
Timeline
Armed violence
flag Venezuela portal

The Macuto Bay raid on 3 to 4 May 2020, code-named by its organizers Operation Gideon (Spanish: Operación Gedeón), was an attempt by Venezuelan dissidents and a Florida-based private military company, Silvercorp USA, to infiltrate Venezuela by sea. The end goal of the plot was to overthrow the government of Nicolás Maduro and take control of the airport in order to "capture" Maduro and expel him from Venezuela. The state intelligence agencies, as well as the Associated Press, had advance notice of the plot, which was intercepted before the first boat reached land. Commentators–including the original Guaidó allies who sponsored the plan to begin with–have described the operation as amateurish, underfunded, poorly planned, having little or no chance of success, and a suicide mission.

The raid involved mercenaries and dissidents traveling in two boats launched from Colombia. The first boat saw six dissident Venezuelans killed, with several more captured; the second boat was intercepted by the Venezuelan national armed forces. According to J.J. Rendón–a signatory to a services agreement with Silvercorp who was designated ad honorem and ad hoc as General Strategist of the Strategy Committee by the disputed Acting President of Venezuela in August 2019–said in an interview with Fernando del Rincón on the program Conclusiones on CNN en Español that his team withdrew from the agreement in November 2019.

Background

Main article: Venezuelan presidential crisis

A power struggle concerning who is the legitimate President of Venezuela began on 10 January 2019, when the opposition-majority National Assembly declared that incumbent Nicolás Maduro's 2018 re-election was invalid; that the office of the President of Venezuela was therefore vacant; and declared its president, Juan Guaidó, to be acting president of the nation. Guaidó has received formal recognition of legitimacy from almost 60 governments internationally, including the United States, Canada and various Latin American and European countries.[9] Other nations, including Russia, China, South Africa, Iran, Syria, Cuba and Turkey have continued to recognize Maduro.

Planning

Operation Gideon was primarily planned by Silvercorp USA founder Jordan Goudreau and former Venezuelan Major General Clíver Alcalá Cordones.[10][11]

Alcalá was a Major General of the Venezuelan Army until he defected in 2013 and began gathering other soldiers who defected into Colombia and stationing them in the La Guajira Peninsula of Colombia.[5] Alcalá had been sanctioned in September 2011 by the United States Department of the Treasury for allegedly helping FARC obtain weapons and smuggle drugs.[12][13]

Goudreau served in the Canadian Armed Forces while attending the University of Calgary from 1994 to 1998, where he studied computer science.[10] He later moved to Washington, D.C. and enlisted in the United States Army a few months prior to the September 11 attacks in New York City, eventually reaching the rank of Sergeant first class in the 10th Special Forces Group.[10] He later became a naturalized US citizen and retired at the age of 40 due to injuries.[10] Goudreau would eventually found Silvercorp USA, a private security firm, in 2018.[5][14] Goudreau has provided security at Trump rallies.[15]

In February 2019, Silvercorp provided security services at Venezuela Aid Live, resulting in Goudreau turning his attention to Venezuela.[14] According to Drew White, a former business associate of Silvercorp, Goudreau saw an opportunity to overthrow Maduro when the administration of United States president Donald Trump focused on removing Maduro from power.[5]

Equipment and support

Initial promotion

Through connections within the private security community, Goudreau was acquainted with Keith Schiller, President Trump's longtime director of security, with Schiller attending a fundraising event at the University Club of Washington, DC organized by Goudreau in March 2019.[5] Roen Kraft of the Kraft Foods family allegedly attended the event with close business friends from the mining and energy industry who supposedly sought preferential acquisition of contracts with a potential Guaidó government in Venezuela.[5] Lester Toledo [es], the director of humanitarian aid for Guaidó's government, was also in attendance.[5]

On 30 April 2019, Guaidó led a failed uprising attempt against Maduro, with troops who sided with Guaidó subsequently fleeing to Colombia following the effort.[5] Weeks later, Lester Toledo introduced Goudreau to Major General Clíver Alcalá Cordones at JW Marriott Bogotá, where groups of anti-Maduro politicians and dissident soldiers held conferences on how to remove Maduro.[5] Toledo, Goudreau and Alcalá met for two days. Alcalá shared information that he had provided camps to 300 Venezuelans on the La Guajira Peninsula in Colombia and discussed attacking the city of Maracaibo, Venezuela's main oil hub near the country's western border with Colombia.[16] Alcalá's forces would then push on to Caracas to overthrow Maduro.[16] Goudreau instead proposed that his company, Silvercorp, could train and equip the soldiers for a rapid strike at a cost of US$1.5 million.[5] Goudreau boasted of having contacts with Trump administration officials, though he did not provide support for his statements.[5] Goudreau eventually caught the attention of Juan Guaidó.[16] In May 2019, Keith Schiller and Goudreau met with Guaidó administration officials in Miami, Florida, with Goudreau promoting the idea of providing security for Guaidó officials.[5] Schiller ended relations with Goudreau following the meeting, believing that Goudreau was incapable of providing the services he promised.[5]

Colombia

In June 2019, Alcalá met with the National Intelligence Directorate of Colombia asking for support, claiming Goudreau was a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative. However, when the Colombians asked their CIA contacts in Bogotá, they reportedly denied that Goudreau had ever been a CIA agent. The Colombians reportedly threatened Alcalá with deportation should he continue to talk about invasion.[5] US officials learned of the militants in Colombia and discussed a plan to organize them to assist victims of the Venezuelan refugee crisis, thus diverting them from illegal activities.[16] When reports emerged that they might be used for an armed operation, one anonymous US official described the idea as being "completely insane".[16]

By 16 June 2019, Goudreau had compiled a list of required equipment, according to former United States Navy SEAL Ephraim Mattos, who met with Alcalá's troops while working in Colombia.[5] The list included "320 M4 assault rifles, an anti-tank rocket launcher, Zodiac boats, US$1 million in cash and state-of-the-art night vision goggles".[5]

Guaidó-Silvercorp services agreement

The General Services Agreement between Silvercorp USA and the Guaidó government

According to a report by The Washington Post, Guaidó created the "Strategic Command" in August 2019, with J.J. Rendón being its general strategist.[16] The Strategic Command was tasked with planning the removal of Maduro from office, with methods ranging from increased international condemnation of Maduro to physical force.[16] Legal advisors promoted the description of Maduro as a "universal enemy" to ensure legality of action and planners reviewed documents about the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion.[16] The Strategic Command agreed that the Venezuelan Constitution, the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and other treaties justified action against Maduro.[16]

Rendón stated that the Strategic Command had contacted numerous groups about forcibly removing Maduro from office, but they demanded US$500M.[16] He then made contact with Goudreau on 7 September 2019 at a condominium in Miami, where a sales pitch was presented that planned the capture of Maduro and his officials and their extraction from Venezuela, all for US$212.9M.[16] On 10 October 2019, Goudreau text messaged Rendón saying, "Washington is fully aware of your direct participation in the project and I don't want them to lose faith".[16] Further text messages displayed Maduro warehouses filled with US dollars; Guaidó officials offered Silvercorp 14% of funds recovered during the operation.[16]

General Strategist JJ Rendón met with Silvercorp USA on behalf of Guaidó

Rendón signed a retainer agreement in Washington, D.C. on behalf of the Guaidó government with Silvercorp on 16 October 2019. The agreement stipulated that US$1.5M was to be paid within five days to Silvercorp in order to initiate "Operation Project Resolution", the plan to remove Maduro, install Guaidó as President of Venezuela, and provide security following the transition. Rendón later stated[clarification needed] that "[Guaidó] was saying all options were on the table, and under the table".[16] In the days following the agreement, Goudreau delivered a covert recording to the Washington Post purportedly depicting Guaidó in a video call on 16 October 2019 with Goudreau. On the recording, Guaidó is heard saying, "We are doing the right thing for our country" and "I'm about to sign".[16] In the agreement, rules of engagement (ROE) were drafted that included the protection of Venezuela's cultural sites, unless used for illicit activity, and the targeting of infrastructure and economic objectives.[17] The ROE also designated numerous enemies: Nicolás Maduro, Diosdado Cabello, their supporters, colectivos, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the National Liberation Army (ELN), and Hezbollah.[17] Also included in the agreement's ROE were riot control guidelines, permitting the use of non-lethal weapons such as rubber bullets, tear gas, shields and batons to combat Venezuela's populace if they became "unruly" and attacked operatives. Also permitted was permission to detain civilians with reasonable suspicion.[17] Finally a chain of command was established: Juan Guaidó as commander-in-chief, Sergio Vergara as overall project supervisor, and J.J. Rendón as chief strategy officer.[17] The agreement was signed by Rendón, Vergara, Goudreau, and Manuel J. Retureta, a Cuban-born attorney based in Washington.[17]

According to Rendón, issues surfaced with Goudreau after Silvercorp failed to provide evidence of funding and that the group had 800 troops prepared for the operation, with Rendón transferring US$50,000 to Silvercorp to ease tensions.[16] Rendón described the discussions with Silvercorp as an "exploratory plan" and that "the president was not comfortable with this".[16] In early-November 2019, Goudreau met Rendón at the latter's condominium and the two had an argument, with Guaidó ultimately turning down Goudreau's proposal after the exchange and the two parties cutting off communications.[5][16][18]

Alcalá incident and extradition

Clíver Alcalá Cordones

According to the AP, Goudreau and Alcalá distanced themselves from the Venezuelan opposition due to "closed-door deal making with the [Maduro] regime".[5] By December 2019, Silvercorp had purchased a 41-foot (12 m) fiberglass boat in Florida that was later equipped with navigational equipment in February 2020.[18]

Without aid from the US government, Goudreau and Alcalá did not have the means required for a successful operation.[18] Speaking after the attack, Goudreau claimed that he had to raise funds through donations from Venezuelan migrants in Colombia.[19]

A shipment of weapons and tactical gear was captured on 23 March 2020 by Colombian authorities tipped off by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with former DEA officials initially believing that the equipment was being sent to leftist guerrillas.[5][18] The impounded truck was headed for Venezuela carrying 26 semi-automatic rifles, night vision goggles, radios, and 15 combat helmets produced by High-End Defense Solutions, a Venezuelan-American company.[5][20]

On 26 March 2020, Alcalá assumed responsibility for "a military operation against the Maduro dictatorship" that included the shipment of weapons captured in Colombia, stating that the United States, Colombia, and Guaidó officials had signed an agreement to overthrow Maduro.[20] Guaidó denied knowledge of the event while United States Special Representative to Venezuela Elliott Abrams described Alcalá's statement as "despicable and quite dangerous." Abrams later said that Alcalá "was put up to making those terrible charges by the [Maduro] regime".[20] Alcalá was subsequently extradited to the United States on drug trafficking charges.[21] The Venezuelan government said that Alcalá was a US agent and that, after the operation failed, the US used narco-terrorism charges as a way to get him to Washington and stop him revealing more secrets.[20]

Caribbean Sea incidents

The Naiguatá (GC-23), which sank after colliding with the RCGS Resolute while searching for mercenaries, according to the Maduro government

In March 2020, Goudreau travelled to Jamaica in the Silvercorp-owned fiberglass boat where he met with former special forces friends discussing Operation Gideon.[18]

On 28 March as Goudreau was preparing the attack, the fiberglass boat was damaged and a emergency position-indicating radio beacon was triggered.[18] Authorities in Curaçao rescued Goudreau and returned him to Florida, with travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic preventing Goudreau from traveling again.[18]

Two days after Goudreau was rescued by Curaçao, the Venezuelan patrol boat Naiguatá sank after engaging and colliding with the RCGS Resolute cruise ship on 30 March.[22] Venezuela alleged that the Portuguese-flagged RCGS Resolute was carrying mercenaries to attack the country's military bases and that the ship's inflatable Zodiac boats were intended to transport them to shore.[23] According to its operator, Columbia Cruise Services, RCGS Resolute had a crew of 32 onboard, but was not carrying passengers.[24]

The head of the Strategic Command Operations of Venezuela, Remigio Ceballos, stated in an interview with Al Mayadeen on 12 April 2020 that the RCGS Resolute attempted to "plant mercenaries" in Venezuela while the Venezuelan government's Misión Verdad would write in May 2020 that the RCGS Resolute incident was possibly linked to US operations in Curaçao and Aruba and the attack.[25][unreliable source] When discussing the attack, Caracas Chronicles wrote that the RCGS Resolute incident "shows how tense the Venezuelan Navy has been around the idea of a maritime armed incursion".[26]

Final preparations, Associated Press article

In the final days of April 2020, Rendón was contacted by Silvercorp's legal advisors demanding a payment of US$1.45M, with Guaidó's officials reacting to the demands in fear, believing they were being blackmailed for money with the threat of the cancelled plans being revealed to the public.[16]

The AP published an article on 1 May 2020 about Goudreau, his plan and its history, and his training camps, writing that the plans to attack Venezuela were "far-fetched" and that people who knew him believed he was "in way over his head".[27] The article suggested that the Venezuelan government may have known of the plan since late-March 2020, but certainly knew by 1 May.[27] Maduro confirmed that he knew of the plan by the evening of 1 May, and said that it had been initially planned for 10 March, but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[28] By the time of the attack, many of the mercenaries had abandoned their camps following the arrest of Alcalá, investigations by Colombian authorities, and the growing pandemic.[5] It has been suggested that Goudreau went ahead with the attack despite its poor planning because he was seeking the US$15M bounty that the US government placed on Maduro.[29][30]

Attack

On 3 May 2020, a group of armed mercenaries arrived by boat at Macuto,[14][failed verification] near La Guaira, a port city just north of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.[31] The boats had launched from Colombia at 17:00 the day before, in two waves.[27] According to Venezuelan state intelligence, the first boat, which was smaller and faster, arrived at Macuto, and the second boat arrived at Chuao in Aragua state.[28] The Venezuelan military reported that the mercenaries had "war materials" on their boats.[31] According to photos released by the Venezuelan government, a helicopter was involved.[32][clarification needed] The naval attack force was composed of 60 soldiers,[31] including two former United States Army Special Forces members employed as private military contractors for Silvercorp USA.[33][34]

File:Jordan Goudreau.png
Jordan Goudreau, seen in a video prior to the 3 May events

An initial fight in the early morning of 3 May involved the first boat, and was fought against the Venezuelan Navy. Goudreau said that the second boat, yet to arrive at Venezuela, was running low on fuel at this point, but that refueling boats were sent from Aruba to help the incursion force. In the initial fight, eight soldiers were arrested on the shore. Another six were killed on the beach;[6] this had initially been reported as eight.[35] Goudreau said that he had safe houses along the coast for his men.[6] Videos of the fight, including gunshots, were shared on social media; the Venezuelan government first acknowledged the attack at 07:30, in an announcement from Interior Minister Néstor Reverol.[27] One of the men killed was former army captain Robert "Pantera" Colina.[28][26]

Goudreau and former Venezuelan National Guard officer Javier Nieto Quintero released a video in the afternoon claiming responsibility, calling the attack "Operation Gideon" and explaining that they intended to launch an army into Venezuela to overthrow Maduro; Goudreau said that as well as the naval attack, his forces had entered Venezuela by land and were still operating. Speaking on national television that day, Reverol said that the Venezuelan military's defensive operation was ongoing, and would be for several days.[31]

The second wave arrived on 4 May, but was intercepted by the navy.[26] The attackers were all captured in a move that involved local police, and two other suspects were detained in Puerto La Cruz later on the day.[26] Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López later said that one of the militant boats had been sunk by the navy, and the country's military sent ships to look for survivors.[36]

On 4 May, Maduro said Venezuelan forces had detained 13 mercenaries, including two Americans working with Goudreau, Airan Berry and Luke Denman.[7][33][34] Goudreau said that eight of his soldiers had been captured on 4 May, the two Americans and six Venezuelans, and that an unknown number had been captured on 3 May.[32] On 5 May it was reported that "dozens" of mercenaries had been captured,[35] with another three on 6 May.[37] Seized items from the mercenaries included weapons, Peruvian documents, and uniforms embroidered with an American flag.[33][34] Venezuelan Prosecutor General Tarek William Saab later announced that 25,000 national troops were mobilized[38] in a Venezuelan military mission named "Bolivarian Shield" (Spanish: Escudo Bolivariano) to protect the country from similar attempts.[28]

Aftermath

On 6 May, Venezuelan state television broadcast a video of an interrogation of one of the captured attackers, Luke Denman.[39] Denman has specialist military medical training and served in Iraq; two of his brothers also served in the military.[40] In the video, Denman states that his instructions were to seize Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía and fly Maduro to the United States, leading Maduro to say that these orders came directly from US President Donald Trump. The video shows Denman answering questions that were asked in English, also indicating that he was hired through Goudreau and that they trained 50 combatants in Colombia in January 2020.[39] Ephraim Mattos, a Navy SEAL who had visited the rebel training camps in Colombia but was not involved in the operation, noted that Denman made an unusual and exaggerated gesture with his eyes, saying that it may have been a covert signal to spectators, that "special operation soldiers are trained to find creative ways to discredit any propaganda videos they are forced to make if captured by the enemy" and that the odd eye movement immediately after saying Trump was Goudreau's boss is "a clear sign from Luke that he is being forced."[41] One of his brothers, a lawyer, spoke to British news outlet Daily Mail on 5 May; the New York Post reports that he asked the US government to help get Luke released.[40]

Former Captain Javier Nieto Quintero, one of the organizers of the operation, said on 7 May that the events were only an "advanced tactical reconnaissance" and that the Carive group had 3,000 troops.[42] Venezuelan media and Reuters also reported that Russian Special Operations Forces were assisting Venezuelan soldiers with surveillance from unmanned aerial vehicles.[1][2]

On 8 May, Venezuelan prosecutor general Tarek William Saab announced that his office has requested arrest warrants for Jordan Goudreau, Juan Jose Rendon, and Sergio Vergara. Speaking on state television, he said that the three persons were involved in the "design, financing and execution of this war action against the territory, the authorities and the people of Venezuela." He elaborated that "given that they are outside the country, we will request their inclusion in the Interpol system, as well as their extradition to Venezuelan territory."[43] The same day, his office charged Luke Alexander Denman and Airan Berry with terrorism, conspiracy and "illicit trafficking of weapons of war and (criminal) association." These charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 25 to 30 years.[44]

Analysis

Regarding the head of Silvercorp, Jordan Goudreau, The New York Times wrote that Venezuelans saw him "as a huckster selling a suicide mission to desperate Venezuelans, as well as a hero committed to liberating the nation".[45]

The Washington Office on Latin America wrote that documents revealed in the media "confirmed" that the Guaidó government signed documents with Silvercorp. The organization also criticized the Trump administration for "maintaining that 'all options are on the table,' including a military option", explaining that such stances by the United States "has tacitly discouraged the Venezuelan opposition from prioritizing negotiations in favor of a theory of change that relies on creating an improbable rupture between the armed forces and the Maduro government".[46]

Ricardo Sucre Heredia, a political analyst of the Central University of Venezuela, stated that the opposition's strategy of promoting insurrection within the Venezuelan armed forces "is a strategy that has not yielded results" and that the Guaidó government's approach of "all options are on the table and under the table" suggests an opposition with criminal and dictatorial tendencies. He also explained that despite Guaidó's statements distancing himself from the operation, the fact that the opposition leader considered the option shows that he had abandoned an electoral solution to the Venezuelan political crisis.[47]

An analysis by Patricio Zamorano of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs wrote that the event showed that Guaidó controlled large amounts of funding despite his inexperience, that the opposition does not have support from the Venezuelan armed forces and that the Guaidó government was willing to use violence to fulfill political goals.[48] Zamorano states that the failed operation would possibly result with the end of the opposition's support for Guaidó.[48]

Reactions

Domestic

The Maduro administration accused the United States and Colombian governments of masterminding the attack, which both denied.[38][49] Goudreau has also denied any help for his operation from US and Colombian authorities.[50]

President of the National Assembly and disputed acting President of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, has accused the Maduro administration of "trying to create a state of apparent confusion, an effort to hide what's happening in Venezuela," citing recent events like the gasoline shortages, the Guanare prison riot, a violent gang battle in Caracas, and the COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela.[49] Guaidó also demanded that the human rights of the detained be respected.[51] The National Assembly also described the document shared by the Maduro government as a "false document as justification to try and kidnap and illegally detain the interim president Juan Guaidó".[18]

The human rights NGO PROVEA asked about the well-being of the people arrested in Macuto and in Chuao and indicated that the Attorney General appointed by the Constituent Assembly, Tarek William Saab, and the Ombudsman appointed by Maduro, Alfredo Ruiz, would be responsible for possible forced disappearances or torture of the detainees, while stressing that it would only support and promote peaceful and constitutional means that lead to the "restoration of democracy in the country".[52] Maduro accused PROVEA of being "financed by the CIA" and giving coverage to "terrorists" as a response, accusations that PROVEA rejected.[53]

International

Multinational organizations

  •  United Nations: Spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the United Nations Stéphane Dujarric stated "Our position is very clear: we oppose any escalation of the situation in Venezuela. We believe that the situation should be resolved through political dialogue with full respect for human rights".[54]

Governments

  •  Colombia: The Colombian government rejected the accusations, calling them an attempt by the "dictatorial regime of Nicolás Maduro" to divert attention from problems in the country.[55] President Iván Duque Márquez said that he did not sponsor invasions or tricks in response to the accusations and stated “I do things up front because I am a defender of democracy.”[43]
  •  Cuba: Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla strongly condemned the armed mercenary incursion into Venezuela and expressed his "solidarity and support" for the Venezuelan president "and to the civic-military union of the Bolivarian and Chavista people that fights against aggression and the pandemic" of COVID-19.[56]
  •  Russia: The Russian Foreign Ministry said that United States' denial was "unconvincing" and pointed to earlier warnings made by the Trump administration that "all options" are on the table, including the possibility of military action. It also said that the actions of the mercenaries deserve "unequivocal and decisive condemnation."[57][58]
  •  United States: Various US officials have denied the accusations made by the Maduro government.[49]
    • President Donald Trump said that the incident "has nothing to do with our government."[30][49] Speaking on Fox News, Trump said "If I wanted to go into Venezuela, I wouldn't make a secret about it." and said that the operation would be called an "invasion" if he sends an army into Venezuela.[59]
    • Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that there was no US government direct involvement in this operation and added: "(If) we’d have been involved, it would have gone differently." Regarding the detention of two Americans, Pompeo said that the US will use "every tool" available to secure the return of Americans if they are being held in Venezuela.[60]
    • Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told reporters at the Pentagon that "the United States government had nothing to do with what's happened in Venezuela in the last few days."[61]
    • A State Department spokesperson said that Maduro government has been consistent in its use of misinformation in order to shift focus from its mismanagement of Venezuela. It also said that there was "a little reason to believe anything that comes out of the former regime"[62]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Leon, Ibis (8 May 2020). "Agentes rusos rastrean a implicados en "Operación Gedeón" en Carayaca". Efecto Cocuyo. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Russian troops to help Venezuela search for members of failed incursion: report". Reuters. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "El régimen de Nicolás Maduro imputó "por terrorismo y conspiración" a dos estadounidenses y emitió otras 25 órdenes de captura por las incursiones en Venezuela". Infobae. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  4. ^ Smith, Scott; Goodman, Joshua (4 May 2020). "Venezuela: 2 Americans among those nabbed after beach raid". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Ex-Green Beret led failed attempt to oust Venezuela's Maduro". Associated Press. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Venezuela 'failed coup plot': What we know so far". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  7. ^ a b Venezuela detains two Americans allegedly involved in failed raid to remove Maduro
  8. ^ "Padrino López anuncia captura de tres "mercenarios" en la carretera El Junquito-Carayaca - Efecto Cocuyo". Efecto Cocuyo (in European Spanish). 6 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Venezuelan bishops denounce Maduro's new presidential term as illegitimate". Catholic News Agency. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d Freeze, Colin; Dickson, Janice (5 May 2020). "A Canadian-American military man, a failed Venezuela coup and a Twitter video". The Globe and Mail. Toronto and Ottawa. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  11. ^ Ex-Green Beret Led Failed Attempt to Oust Venezuela's Maduro NYTimes.com
  12. ^ "US sanctions Venezuelans for alleged Farc links". BBC. 8 September 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  13. ^ "Treasury designates four Venezuelan officials for providing arms and security to the FARC" (Press release). U.S. Department of the Treasury. 8 September 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  14. ^ a b c "Venezuela detains two US citizens over speedboat incursion". BBC News. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  15. ^ Ensor, Josie (6 May 2020). "Venezuela 'coup plot leader' provided security at Trump rallies - reports". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 7 May 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Faiola, Anthony (6 May 2020). "From a Miami condo to the Venezuelan coast, how a plan to 'capture' Maduro went rogue". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 May 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ a b c d e "Read the attachments to the General Services Agreement between the Venezuelan opposition and Silvercorp". The Washington Post. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h Goodman, Joshua (6 May 2020). "Sources: US investigating ex-Green Beret for Venezuela raid". Associated Press. Retrieved 7 May 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ "Venezuela holds US mercenaries after botched coup". The Australian. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  20. ^ a b c d Long, Gideon (4 April 2020). "Mystery surrounds foiled 'plot' to liberate Venezuela". Financial Times. Retrieved 5 May 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ "Cliver Alcalá se entregó a la DEA y fue extraditado a EEUU". Noticiero Digital. Reuters. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
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External links

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