PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The Trinidad and Tobago government Wednesday said it is “closely monitoring the situation” after Venezuela claimed that it had intercepted a number of hitmen among several others who had entered the South American country from Trinidad.
Minister of Defence Wayne Sturge“The Ministry of Defence is aware of recent reports concerning a claim made by the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, alleging the infiltration by Colombian paramilitary groups in eastern Venezuela through Trinidad and Tobago,” the Ministry Of Defence said in a statement.
Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro claimed that the Colombian hitmen had been detained with heavy weapons as they attempted to enter the country on Monday.
“…we captured a group of terrorists, here in the eastern part of the country, with a shipment of weapons of war, entering from Trinidad and Tobago. Half of them are Colombians, Colombian hitmen, brought across the Caribbean Sea to enter (Venezuela),” Maduro said at the inauguration ceremony of the new governor of Sucre state, Jhoana Carrillo, on Monday.
Maduro insisted that Venezuelans live in peace thanks to the government’s efforts to neutralize the actions of terrorist groups, saying what did the fascists do? They attacked the economy, they prepared terrorist attacks that we neutralized by capturing the terrorist groups’ top leaders.
Maduro said Venezuela will reject all forms of fascist violence and criticized the “Nazi regime” ruling Ukraine for its constant bombing of infrastructure and civilians in Russia.
“They bomb trains, they bomb civilian buildings, they bomb bridges… we reject the Nazi regime in Ukraine, which doesn’t allow the Russian people to live in peace, just as we in Venezuela deserve to live in peace,” he said.
In its statement, the Ministry of Defence here said as a result of the claims made by Caracas, it has initiated “a comprehensive investigation” and that the “preliminary findings indicate that there is currently no evidence to support these allegations.
“However, the Ministry is taking immediate and decisive steps to address the matter with the utmost seriousness and urgency.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to national security, the Ministry is working in close coordination with law enforcement agencies and security forces to enhance surveillance and reinforce border security in critical areas.
“Additionally, we will be engaging with our Venezuelan counterparts through the appropriate diplomatic channels to gather any relevant information or evidence that could assist in this matter”.
The Kamla Persad Bissessar government said that the safety of Trinidad and Tobago citizens remains its “highest priority” and that the public can be assured the Ministry (of Defence) is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to provide timely and credible updates through the usual communication channels”.
