Washington – President Donald Trump on Tuesday denied any involvement by the United States government in what Venezuelan officials have called a failed armed incursion into the South American country that led to the capture of two American “mercenaries”.
Trump made the comment to reporters at the White House after socialist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday that authorities there had detained a pair of US citizens working with a US military veteran who has claimed responsibility for the foiled operation.
“We’ll find out. We just heard about it,” Trump said when asked about the incident and the Americans’ arrests. “But it has nothing to do with our government.”
In a state television address, Maduro said authorities arrested 13 “terrorists” on Monday involved in what he described as a plot coordinated with Washington to enter the country via the Caribbean coast and oust him. Eight people were killed during the incursion attempt on Sunday, Venezuelan authorities said.
While echoing Trump’s denial, the State Department accused the Maduro government of a “highly questionable representation of the details”, saying it did not accept the account at face value and was seeking more information. It did not specify, however, what it believed had been distorted.
Maduro on Monday night showed what he said were the US passports and other identification belonging to Airan Berry, 41, and Luke Denman, 34. He said they were in custody and had been working with Jordan Goudreau, an American military veteran who leads a Florida-based security company called Silvercorp USA.
Venezuelan Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said on Tuesday the alleged plot was hindered by rivalries among the participants and logistical problems, including a shortage of fuel for their boats. (Reuters)
