Venezuela says it foiled 'false flag' bomb plot targeting US embassy

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said that security forces had foiled what he called a "false flag" plot by local terrorists to plant explosives at the US embassy in Caracas.

Speaking on his weekly television programme on Monday, Maduro said two sources — whom he did not identify — "agreed on the possibility that a local terrorist group placed an explosive device at the US embassy in Caracas" in an attempt to escalate tensions between Venezuela and the United States.

Jorge Rodriguez, head of Venezuela’s dialogue delegation, said earlier that Caracas had warned Washington of "a serious threat" from extremists who had "attempted to plant lethal explosives at the US embassy."

"We have reinforced security measures at this diplomatic mission," Rodriguez added.

Maduro said the US embassy remained protected "despite all the differences we have had with the governments of the United States."

Caracas and Washington severed diplomatic ties in 2019, and the embassy has since been largely deserted except for local staff.

Tensions over drug trafficking

Maduro accused Washington of using its counter-narcotics campaign as a pretext for aggression.

"The imperialists want to turn drug trafficking into an excuse for military provocation," he said.

The United States has made Venezuela a focus of its anti-drug operations, even though most narcotics entering the country originate in or transit through Mexico.

US President Donald Trump has dispatched warships and aircraft to the Caribbean and authorised strikes on boats off Venezuela’s coast that Washington claims were carrying drugs bound for the United States. At least 21 people have been killed in the attacks.

"We’re stopping drugs at a level that nobody’s ever seen," Trump told sailors in Virginia on Sunday.

Maduro countered that the US’s true goal was "regime change."

Diplomatic rift widens

The developments came as the New York Times reported that Trump had instructed his special envoy Richard Grenell to halt diplomatic outreach to Maduro after frustration over the Venezuelan leader’s refusal to cede power.

US officials have said the administration is exploring military contingency plans.

Washington is also offering a $50 million reward for Maduro’s arrest, accusing him of ties to drug cartels and criminal networks.

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Source: TRT