Venezuela Accuses US of Plotting False-Flag Operation in Caribbean

Venezuela claimed on Sunday to have foiled what it described as a CIA-linked plot to attack a U.S. warship docked in neighboring Trinidad and Tobago, escalating tensions in a region already on edge due to increased American naval presence in the Caribbean.

According to Venezuelan officials, the alleged conspiracy targeted the USS Gravely, a guided-missile destroyer currently making a four-day visit to Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. The vessel arrived Sunday for joint training exercises with local defense forces.

Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said in a statement that Venezuela had alerted Trinidad and Tobago about the purported “false-flag operation,” which allegedly would have been designed to provoke U.S. military action against Venezuela.

“On our territory a criminal cell financed by the CIA and linked to this covert operation is being dismantled,” Gil stated, offering few specifics about the alleged plot.

Interior Minister Diosadado Cabello reported that at least four suspects had been arrested in connection with the alleged conspiracy. The announcement came just one day after Venezuela claimed to have detained mercenaries it linked to U.S. intelligence activities.

Venezuela regularly makes claims about arresting U.S.-backed operatives, often with limited supporting evidence, in what critics see as attempts to rally domestic support and distract from internal problems.

The Caribbean region has become an increasingly tense geopolitical flashpoint in recent months. The U.S. has deployed seven warships to waters near Venezuela’s coast, with plans to add the USS Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, to the flotilla. This naval buildup comes as U.S.-Venezuela relations continue to deteriorate.

Adding fuel to the diplomatic fire, former U.S. President Donald Trump recently acknowledged approving covert action in Venezuela and suggested he was considering launching operations on Venezuelan territory. The Biden administration has maintained pressure on the Maduro government, which Washington does not recognize as legitimate.

The United States has already conducted several air strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea, resulting in 43 deaths, according to Venezuelan reports. U.S. officials have characterized these operations as targeting drug trafficking networks, but the Maduro government views them as part of a broader strategy to force regime change.

César Álvarez, a terrorism studies lecturer at Charles Sturt University, told ABC earlier this month that U.S. actions increasingly suggest a regime change agenda. This perspective has found some traction among U.S. lawmakers, with Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen stating that Americans “deserve to know” whether the government is pursuing such a policy.

Venezuela characterized the USS Gravely’s port call in Trinidad—just 11 kilometers from Venezuelan territory—as a deliberate “provocation aimed at provoking a war in the Caribbean.”

The heightened military presence comes amid ongoing political and economic turmoil in Venezuela, which has faced years of international sanctions and diplomatic isolation. President Nicolás Maduro has consistently accused the United States of plotting his overthrow since the contested 2018 election that many international observers deemed fraudulent.

Regional security experts have expressed concern about the potential for miscalculation in the increasingly militarized Caribbean, noting that even minor incidents could spiral into broader confrontation given the current climate of distrust.

Neither the U.S. State Department nor Pentagon has issued an official response to Venezuela’s latest allegations about the purported plot against the USS Gravely.