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Venezuelan President Maduro Says Two U.S. ‘Mercenaries’ Arrested in Failed Raid
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Monday that two U.S. citizens have been arrested among a group of “mercenaries” who launched a failed raid attempting to capture and oust the socialist leader. During a nationwide broadcast on state television, Maduro held up two American passports and read the names and birth dates of the two “professional …
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Monday that two U.S. citizens have been arrested among a group of “mercenaries” who launched a failed raid attempting to capture and oust the socialist leader.
During a nationwide broadcast on state television, Maduro held up two American passports and read the names and birth dates of the two “professional American mercenaries,” who were arrested with about eight other people.
Video footage shown on state television claimed to show the captives surrendering from their boat and later being handled by Venezuelan authorities.
Maduro blamed the Trump administration as well as the country’s western neighbor Colombia for the plot. Both the U.S. and Colombia have denied involvement.
“The United States government is fully and completely involved in this defeated raid,” Maduro said.
The two Americans were identified as ex-Green Berets Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan with former Green Beret Jordan Goudreau, who, according to Maduro, was directing the stymied operation from Florida. The operation allegedly aimed to capture Maduro and “liberate” Venezuela. Goudreau said that he has spoken to a lawyer in Venezuela and has reached out to the State Department in efforts to repatriate the two soldiers.
There has not been a U.S. embassy in Caracas since Venezuela and the U.S. broke off diplomatic relations last year after the U.S. government recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido over Maduro as the country’s interim president.
Guaido has denied any connection with the group’s raid, called “Operation Gideon,” but called for the prisoners to be treated humanely.
“We demand the human rights … of the people captured in recent hours be respected,” Guaido said in a statement.
The capture comes after a Venezuelan naval vessel repeatedly rammed a German cruise liner off its coast earlier this month. The German-owned cruise ship was undergoing maintenance in international waters when the Venezuelan vessel ordered it to change direction and began ramming it repeatedly. The Venezuelan vessel was punctured and sank while the German cruise ship sustained only minor damage.
