Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says there is evidence his American counterpart Donald Trump “personally ordered” the recent military raid on the Latin American country, arguing that Washington swiftly cut remaining ties with Caracas thereafter.
Maduro made the comments in an interview with a Uruguayan news outlet on Thursday evening, saying the evidence would soon reveal the US president himself was behind the “covert operation” last weekend, during which two US security contractors were arrested and eight armed locals killed.
Maduro also asserted that the newly-appointed Ambassador James Story — the first formal US envoy to Venezuela in some 10 years — and other senior American officials, including US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, were to blame for the failed mercenary attack.
“James Story has his feet, his hands and his whole body in this armed incursion,” the Venezuelan president said, adding that confidential documents would soon be released proving their complicity.
Maduro went on to say that there had always been communication channels between Caracas and Washington, even when bilateral ties hit their lowest points, however, the US administration has been “silent” since the botched incursion attempt last weekend.
“They do not answer WhatsApp, phone, they are silent,” he said. “We had three communications channels with three officials from the Trump administration; we have sent messages to them but gained no answer.”
Maduro stressed that it was impossible that after 48 hours, Washington had declined to share information about the mercenary attack, directed by the US against Venezuela.
Trump has so far offered few comments on the failed marine incursion, telling reporters at a White House briefing that his administration was aware of the situation, but claimed “it has nothing to do with our government.”
In a state television address on Monday, Maduro said authorities had detained 13 terrorists involved in the attack, including two Americans. The two US citizens were identified as Airan Berry and Luke Denman.
Maduro showed the US passports and other identification cards belonging to Berry and Denman, noting that they had been working with Jordan Goudreau, an American military veteran who leads the Florida-based security firm Silvercorp USA.
Goudreau later admitted that Berry and Denman were working with him in the operation.
Denman said in a public interrogation on Venezuelan state TV on Wednesday that the purpose of the military operation was to seize an airport in Caracas and whisk Maduro back to the US, where he is accused of narco-terrorism charges.
Maduro said the Venezuelan authorities had been aware of the plot — which he said was coordinated with Washington and aimed to oust him — before its execution.
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