Venezuela Foils Alleged Plot Against US Embassy, Maduro Claims

President Nicolas Maduro announced on Monday that Venezuelan authorities had thwarted a false flag operation by what he described as local terrorists intending to plant explosives at the US embassy in Caracas. According to Maduro, the scheme aimed to escalate tensions between Caracas and Washington over alleged drug trafficking.

Speaking on his weekly television programme, Maduro said that two unnamed sources had “agreed on the possibility that a local terrorist group placed an explosive device at the US embassy in Caracas” to aggravate disputes with the United States.

Earlier, Jorge Rodriguez, head of Venezuela’s delegation for dialogue with the opposition, stated that Caracas had warned Washington about a “serious threat” from extremists who “attempted to plant lethal explosives at the US embassy.” He added: “We have reinforced security measures at this diplomatic mission.”

Diplomatic Context

• Venezuela and the United States severed diplomatic ties in 2019, leaving the US embassy largely deserted, apart from a small number of local employees.
• Maduro emphasised Monday night: “It is an embassy which is protected, despite all the differences we have had with the governments of the United States.”

The socialist government of Venezuela frequently accuses the opposition of plotting against the state.

Washington has made Venezuela a focal point in its fight against drug trafficking, despite the fact that most illegal drugs entering the United States originate in or pass through Mexico.

Under the Trump administration:

• Warships and aircraft were deployed in the Caribbean.
• Several small boats off the Venezuelan coast were bombed for allegedly carrying drugs to the United States.
• At least 21 people were killed in these strikes. Trump claimed these measures are curbing the flow of drugs across the Caribbean, telling US Navy sailors: “We’re stopping drugs at a level that nobody’s ever seen.”

Maduro, however, insists that Trump’s real objective is regime change in Venezuela.

In response to perceived threats, Caracas has:

• Deployed thousands of troops along land and sea borders.
• Enrolled thousands of civilians into a militia.

The United States did not recognise Maduro’s 2024 re-election, which was rejected by the opposition and much of the international community as fraudulent. During Trump’s first term, he:

• Recognised an opposition leader as interim president.
• Imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector.

Despite these pressures, Maduro retained power, with support from the military.

For weeks, social media has circulated rumours that opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, in hiding since last year’s election, is sheltering at the US embassy in Caracas. Her whereabouts have not been confirmed by AFP.

Washington has recognised Eduardo Gonzalez Urrutia, a candidate backed by Machado, as Venezuela’s legitimate president. According to opposition ballot counts, Gonzalez Urrutia, formerly a senator, defeated Maduro in last year’s election.

Facing threats of arrest over his victory claim, Gonzalez Urrutia went into exile in Spain late last year. In a video last month, he and Machado expressed support for US military pressure on Maduro, calling it a “necessary measure” for the **restoration of popular sovereignty in Venezuela.”