Venezuela Foils Terrorist Attack at US Embassy Amid Worsening Ties with Washington 

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced this week that his security forces prevented a “false flag operation” by a “local terrorist group” to plant explosives at the United States Embassy in the country’s capital, Caracas, MercoPress reported. 

During his weekly TV show on Monday, Maduro said that two credible sources, one domestic and one international, had told the government about the possible attack by “extremist sectors of the local Venezuelan right.”  

Security forces were sent to reinforce security around the embassy, and authorities are searching for those involved in the failed plan. 

The president also shared details and information about the threat with the US government, and he said he received a positive response. 

Maduro described the foiled attack as a “provocation,” warning it was part of a larger destabilization attempt aimed at justifying further aggression against his country and heightening tensions with Washington – the US is expanding its military presence off the coast of Venezuela as part of a campaign against drug cartels, Al Jazeera noted. 

After the rupture of diplomatic relations between Caracas and Washington in 2019, the US embassy in Venezuela has remained closed, only maintaining necessary staff for security and the upkeep of the premises. Despite the difference between the two countries, Maduro insisted that the embassy is protected and respected by his government under international law. 

News of this alleged attack arrives as US President Donald Trump reportedly called off efforts to find a diplomatic agreement with Venezuela. 

The Trump administration does not recognize Maduro as the legitimate president and has accused him of being one of the world’s biggest drug traffickers and also the head of the Cartel de los Soles. The US military campaign in Venezuela currently focuses on attacking Venezuelan ships in the Caribbean Sea, which it believes are carrying drugs. 

Last Friday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said four people were killed during a strike on a small vessel in the Caribbean, which the White House considered involved in drug trafficking. 

Venezuelan officials have condemned the US’s targeting of shipping, saying it constitutes a campaign of extrajudicial killing.