Port of Spain, Trinidad – As tensions grow in the Caribbean over a possible war between Venezuela and the United States, the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister says a fake attack on the US warship, the USS Gravely which is currently docked in Trinidad and Tobago, may be coming.
Minister Yvan Gil Pinto’s claims come a day after the Venezuelan government alleged that Trinidad and Tobago was working with the US’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to carry out a false flag attack to prompt an attack on Venezuela.
In a post to Facebook on October 27, Pinto wrote, “Venezuela has clearly informed the Government of Trinidad and Tobago about the CIA-led false flag operation: attacking an American military ship parked on that island and then blaming Venezuela, to justify an aggression against our country. It’s the same imperial script of the ship Maine and the Gulf of Tonkin: fabricate conflict to impose interests outside our region.”
On October 26, the Venezuelan government announced that it had captured a group of “mercenaries” allegedly working with information from the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Authorities claimed the group was planning a false flag attack from waters near Trinidad and Tobago or from within Trinidadian or Venezuelan territory – an operation they said was intended to provoke a full-scale military confrontation against Venezuela.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a false flag attack is a political or military action made to appear as though it was carried out by a group that is not actually responsible.
In a statement issued Sunday, the Nicolás Maduro administration denounced what it called a “military provocation” by Trinidad and Tobago and the CIA. The statement followed the arrival of the US warship USS Gravely, which docked at the Port of Port of Spain earlier that same day.
On Monday, Pinto elaborated further, claiming that the Venezuelan government had dismantled a criminal cell allegedly funded by the CIA.
“We hope that Trinidad and Tobago will do the right thing and not allow their territory to be used for maneuvers that threaten Caribbean peace,” Pinto wrote. “We respect the people of Trinidad and Tobago and trust their conscience to prevent their country from being dragged into a dirty war operation.”
Pinto said Venezuela would not be drawn into provocations but would defend its sovereignty.
He also urged Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, to “take responsibility for the Caribbean and for history – either side with peace or sink into the CIA agenda.”
In its statement, the Venezuelan government accused Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar of renouncing Trinidad and Tobago’s sovereignty and acting as “a colonial military outpost subordinate to US hegemonic interests, converting its territory into a port of operations for the US to wage war throughout the Caribbean – against Venezuela, against Colombia, and against all of South America.”
The US Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago said the vessel will remain docked in Trinidad until October 30, while the 22nd US Marine Expeditionary Unit conducts joint training exercises with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force during that period.
According to the Embassy, the US military presence forms part of the “longstanding cooperation between the United States and Trinidad and Tobago.”
US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, Dr. Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz, said the partnership between both nations “exemplifies regional strength through collaboration. Together, we address shared threats like transnational crime and build resilience through training, humanitarian missions, and security efforts.”
However, Caracas maintains that the military exercises coordinated, financed, and controlled by the US Southern Command constitute “a hostile provocation against Venezuela and a grave threat to peace in the Caribbean.”
It said by submitting to Washington’s militaristic agenda, Persad-Bissessar violates several international treaties that protect the Caribbean’s people.
“These are not defensive exercises – they constitute a colonial military operation of aggression aimed at transforming the Caribbean into a space of lethal violence and US imperial domination,” the Venezuelan government said.
Referencing the ten airstrikes carried out by the US on alleged drug boats off South America, in which an estimated 43 people have been killed, the Venezuelan government said, “This submissive and treacherous policy, betraying the constitutional principles of Trinidad and Tobago, has ended up striking its own people: innocent fishermen have become victims of extrajudicial executions in the Caribbean Sea, revealing the repressive and criminal character of the current government – one that shoots its own citizens under orders like “kill them all”, and celebrates the summary execution of Trinidadians, even as it opens its doors to foreign troops and assassins.”
The Venezuelan government said it does not accept any threats from “any government subservient to the US” and its Bolivarian National Armed Forces were alert and mobilized to defend “its sovereignty, territorial integrity and right to live in peace in the face of foreign enemies and their vassals.”
Trinidadian Foreign Affairs Minister: Local fishermen may be missing, not dead
Two Trinidadian fishermen from the North Coast are believed to have been killed in one of the strikes on October 16. However, Trinidad’s Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers, at a press conference on October 26, said Rishi Samaroo and Chad “Charpo” Joseph, may not be dead but could be missing.
Sobers said there is no evidence that either man was killed.
“They may very well be missing. We don’t know them to be dead. We don’t know that they were the actual persons on any boats that may have been destroyed. In the absence of any evidence, the best course of action would be to go to the police and file a missing persons report,” Sobers said.
Joseph’s relatives have already held a memorial service for him and called on US President Donald Trump to “stop killing innocent people.”
Sobers described the belief by the men’s families that they were killed as “conjecture and misinformation.”
“We have made arrangements with the police to try to locate these individuals,” Sobers said.
Sobers also addressed Trinidad and Tobago’s diplomatic presence in Venezuela, given the rising tensions.
“We have a diplomatic contingent in Venezuela. Nobody has moved, nobody has run or gone anywhere. Work is operating as normal, and there are no issues.”
He said Trinidad and Tobago has “no issues” with Venezuela and he is in “constant contact” with Ambassador to Venezuela, Alvaro Sanchez Cordero.
Trinidad and Tobago Government: We value our relationship with Venezuela
The Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led government responded to the Venezuelan government’s statement on Sunday afternoon, saying official statements from the US and the Foreign and Caricom Affairs Ministry have made the purpose of the visit of the USS Gravely clear.
“The visit of the USS Gravely aims to bolster the fight against transnational crime and build resilience through training, humanitarian activities, and security cooperation. It will also strengthen the longstanding partnership between both countries which has provided enhanced medical care and disaster preparedness, improved lives, and strengthened communities in Trinidad and Tobago.”
The government said it has “repeatedly” made it clear that Trinidad and Tobago values its relationship with the people of Venezuela given their shared history and close fraternal relations.
“The Government of Trinidad and Tobago also once more reiterates its commitment to the people of the Caribbean for the creation of a safer, stronger and more prosperous region.”
Trinidad and Tobago Regiment: US military training pre-planned
The Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, in a post on its official Facebook account on October 27, said the ongoing joint training between it and the US military “forms part of longstanding, pre-planned military cooperation initiatives, similar to Exercise Tradewinds, which took place earlier this year.”
The post was accompanied by a series of photos taken during the Tradewinds Exercise, which was sponsored by the US SouthCom and took place in Trinidad and Tobago from April 26 to May 8, 2025.
In a recent statement, the US Embassy said, “During the annual Tradewinds exercise, over 1,300 military and security personnel from 24 nations from across the region took part, facilitating training to counter transnational organized crime and conduct humanitarian assistance operations, and natural disaster response.”
The Trinidad and Tobago Regiment also shared a second post later in the day.
“Our countinued (sic) partnership with the US Military is not limited to operational training, but also Civil Military Cooperation across the country as seen here earlier this year.”
That post was accompanied by photos from August when the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment’s 1st Engineer Battalion and US Navy personnel carried out a joint refurbishment project at the Lochmaben RC School in Cedros, South Trinidad, as part of the US Naval Southern Command Operation #ContinuingPromise2025.
