“At least four suspects have been arrested. The group was financed by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA),” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on October 27, alleging a plan to strike the American warship.
The announcement came a day after the USS Gravely docked in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, whose northern coast lies just 11 kilometers from Venezuela. Authorities have not released the suspects’ identities or details of the alleged operation. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil said he had notified Trinidad and Tobago’s government about the incident.
U.S. and Trinidadian officials have not yet commented. The USS Gravely is in the area to join scheduled joint naval exercises between the U.S. and Trinidad and Tobago. The island nation’s government reassured the public that the ship’s presence poses no threat, describing the exercise as routine.
On October 26, Caracas accused Trinidad and Tobago of cooperating with the CIA to provoke Venezuela by “fabricating a staged attack” aimed at inciting military confrontation. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said authorities had detained “a group of mercenaries linked to U.S. intelligence,” but provided no evidence.
The USS Gravely deployment comes amid a U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean ordered by President Donald Trump. Since early September, Washington has stationed 10 stealth fighters, eight warships, and around 6,500 troops across the southern Caribbean as part of an anti-narcotics campaign—the largest U.S. military operation in the region in years.
American forces have reportedly carried out 10 strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats near Venezuela and in the Pacific, killing at least 43 people. Washington has yet to present evidence confirming the targets were drug traffickers.
The operation has fueled concerns that the U.S. may be preparing to undermine President Nicolás Maduro’s government. Maduro last month called the U.S. buildup “the greatest threat to Venezuela in a century,” and vowed the country was ready to “fight to defend its sovereignty,” ordering both regular and reserve forces to mobilize.
Tensions further escalated this week after the Pentagon redeployed the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group from Europe to the Caribbean. Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino announced new coastal defense drills to counter “large-scale military threats.”