A former member of the US Army Special Forces has taken responsibility for what he claims was a failed attack aimed at overthrowing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a mission the country's socialist government says led to the deaths of eight people.
On Sunday, former Green Beret Jordan Goudreau revealed details of the attack in an interview with an exiled Venezuelan journalist. It capped a bizarre day that started with reports of a predawn amphibious raid near Venezuela's heavily guarded capital, Caracas.
An Associated Press investigation published on Friday found Mr Goudreau was working with a retired Venezuelan army general who is facing US narcotics charges to train dozens of deserters from Venezuela's security forces at secret camps in Colombia. The goal was to mount a cross-border raid that would end in Mr Maduro's arrest.
But the ragtag force lacked funding and US government support, all but guaranteeing defeat against the Venezuelan military. The group also appears to have been infiltrated by Mr Maduro's extensive Cuban-backed intelligence network.
Both Mr Goudreau and a retired Venezuelan captain, Javier Nieto, declined to speak to the AP on Sunday when contacted after posting a video from an undisclosed location saying they launched an anti-Maduro putsch called "Operation Gideon". Both men live in Florida.
"A daring amphibious raid was launched from the border of Colombia deep into the heart of Caracas," Mr Goudreau said in the video. "Our units have been activated in the south, west and east of Venezuela."
Mr Goudreau said 60 of his men were still on the ground and cells were being activated inside Venezuela, some fighting under the command of Venezuelan National Guardsman, Capt Antonio Sequea, who participated in a barracks revolt against Mr Maduro a year ago.
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People are seen in the streets of Petare neighbourhood after Caracas and other parts of Venezuela were hit by a massive power cut on July 22, 2019. The lights went out in most of Caracas causing traffic jams and sending people back home on foot after the metro stopped running, while people in other parts of the country took to social media to report the power had gone out there too. The state-owned power company CORPOELEC only reported a breakdown affecting sectors of Caracas. / AFP / Matias DELACROIX -
People are illuminated by the lights of vehicles in Petare neighbourhood after Caracas and other parts of Venezuela were hit by a massive power cut on July 22, 2019. The lights went out in most of Caracas causing traffic jams and sending people back home on foot after the metro stopped running, while people in other parts of the country took to social media to report the power had gone out there too. The state-owned power company CORPOELEC only reported a breakdown affecting sectors of Caracas. / AFP / Matias DELACROIX -
A man checks his mobile phone in Caracas on July 22, 2019 while the capital and other parts of Venezuela are being hit by a massive power cut. The lights went out in most of Caracas while people in other parts of the country took to social media to report the power had gone out there too. The state-owned power company CORPOELEC only reported a breakdown affecting sectors of Caracas. / AFP / Matias Delacroix -
Picture taken in Petare neighbourhood after Caracas and other parts of Venezuela were hit by a massive power cut on July 22, 2019. The lights went out in most of Caracas causing traffic jams and sending people back home on foot after the metro stopped running, while people in other parts of the country took to social media to report the power had gone out there too. The state-owned power company CORPOELEC only reported a breakdown affecting sectors of Caracas. / AFP / Matias DELACROIX -
People wait for a public transportation on a street during a blackout in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 22, 2019. The lights went out across much of Venezuela Monday, reviving fears of the blackouts that plunged the country into chaos a few months ago as the government once again accused opponents of sabotaging the nation's hydroelectric power system. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) -
People walk on the street during a blackout in Caracas, Venezuela July 22, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins -
People use a truck provided by the municipality with an electricity generator to charge their cell phones during a blackout in Caracas, Venezuela July 22, 2019. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero -
A general view is seen during a blackout in Caracas, Venezuela July 22, 2019. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero -
People get ready to spend the night outside a bank in Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela on July 22, 2019 to collect their pensions the next day, as parts of the country, including the capital Caracas, were hit by a massive power cut. The lights went out in most of Caracas while people in other parts of the country took to social media to report the power had gone out there too. The state-owned power company CORPOELEC only reported a breakdown affecting sectors of Caracas. / AFP / Federico PARRA -
A public transportation bus is packed with passengers during a blackout in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 22, 2019. The lights went out across much of Venezuela Monday, reviving fears of the blackouts that plunged the country into chaos a few months ago as the government once again accused opponents of sabotaging the nation's hydroelectric power system. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) -
epaselect epa07734312 People wait on the street during a power cut in Caracas, Venezuela, 22 July 2019. A new interruption of electricity has left at least 18 of Venezuela's 23 states without power. EPA/MIGUEL GUTIERREZ -
epa07734453 A view of a road illuminated by vehicles passing through during a blackout in Caracas, Venezuela, 22 July 2019. A new interruption of electricity has left at least 18 of Venezuela's 23 states without power. EPA/RAYNER PENA
None of their claims of an ongoing operation could be independently verified. But Mr Goudreau said he hoped to join the rebels soon and invited Venezuelan citizens and Mr Maduro's troops to join the would-be insurgency, although there was no sign of any fighting in the capital or elsewhere as night fell.
In an interview with Patricia Poleo, a journalist in Miami, Mr Goudreau provided a contradictory account of his activities and the support he claimed once to have had from Juan Guaido, the opposition leader recognised as Venezuela's interim president by about 60 countries, including the US.
Mr Goudreau gave Poleo what he said was an 8-page contract signed by Mr Guaido and two political advisers in Miami in October for $213 million (Dh782.2m). The alleged "general services" contract doesn't specify what work his company, Silvercorp USA, was to undertake.
Mr Goudreau also released a four-minute audio recording of the moment when he purportedly signed the contract as Mr Guaido participated via a video call. In the recording, a person Mr Goudreau claimed was Mr Guaido could be heard giving vague encouragement in broken English but not discussing any military plans.
The AP was unable to confirm the veracity of the recording.
There was no immediate comment from Mr Guaido on Mr Goudreau's claim the two signed a contract. Previously, Mr Guaido said he hadn't signed any contract for a military incursion.
Mr Guaido's team did not provide any funding, Mr Goudreau said. Instead the Venezuelan soldiers he was advising had to scrounge for donations from Venezuelan migrants working for Uber in Colombia.
"It's almost like crowdfunded the liberating of a country," he said.
Mr Goudreau, who received three Bronze Stars for courage while serving as a special forces medic in Iraq and Afghanistan, said everything he did was legal.
"I've been a freedom fighter my whole life. This is all I know," he said.
Asked why his troops would land at one of Venezuela's most fortified coastlines – about 30 kilometres from Caracas, next to the country's biggest airport – he cited the example set by Alexander the Great, who had "struck deep into the heart of the enemy" at the Battle of Gaugamela.
The government's claims it foiled a beach landing triggered a frenzy of confusing claims and counterclaims about the alleged plot. While Mr Maduro's allies said the mission was backed by Mr Guaido, Colombia and the US, the Venezuelan opposition accused Mr Maduro of fabricating the whole episode to distract attention from the country's humanitarian crisis.
"Those who assume they can attack the institutional framework in Venezuela will have to assume the consequences of their action," said socialist party chief Diosdado Cabello.
He said one of two captured insurgents claimed to be an agent of the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
Authorities said they found Peruvian documents, high-calibre weapons, satellite phones, uniforms and helmets adorned with the US flag.
