Trump denies ties to attack

CARACAS (AP):

PRESIDENT DONALD Trump said Tuesday that the United States (US) had nothing to do with an alleged incursion into Venezuela that landed two US citizens behind bars in the crisis-stricken South American nation.

Trump said he had just learned of the detention of the pair, accused by Venezuela of being mercenaries. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said they were part of an operation to kill him that was backed by neighbouring Colombia and the United States.

“Whatever it is, we’ll let you know,” Trump told reporters in Washington before departing from the White House to Arizona.“But it has nothing to do with our government.”

Authorities in Venezuela identified the two men as Luke Denman and Airan Berry, both former US Special Forces soldiers associated with the Florida-based private security firm,

Silvercorp USA.

A third US ex-Green Beret and Silvercorp founder Jordan Goudreau claimed responsibility for leading ‘Operation Gideon’, which was launched with an attempted beach landing before dawn on Sunday that left eight suspected attackers dead.

The two ex-US soldiers were detained on Monday dozens of miles from the first attempted beach landing in a fishing village. Authorities say they’ve confiscated equipment and detained dozens of others.

Goudreau said the operation was designed to capture — and not kill -- Maduro. He said he carried it out on a “shoestring budget” after signing an agreement with US-backed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who Goudreau accuses of failing to pay him. Guaidó denies having any relationship with Goudreau.