Key Facts
- ✓ The Venezuelan government reported that eight people were killed and dozens captured during the May 2020 raid on the country's northern coast.
- ✓ Two former US Army Green Berets, including Luke Denman, were among the men imprisoned following the failed operation.
- ✓ State-controlled media released 'confession videos' where the captured Americans claimed they were acting under the orders of President Donald Trump.
- ✓ The operation was described by Venezuelan authorities as a plot to kidnap President Nicolás Maduro and remove him from the country.
- ✓ The captured men were reportedly hired to train a group for the operation in Colombia before the attempt was made.
- ✓ The incident drew comparisons to the historic 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, earning the nickname 'Bay of Piglets.'
A Botched Operation
In May 2020, the Venezuelan government released a series of startling images and videos. The footage showed a ragtag group of men captured by security forces in a village on the country's northern coast. According to Venezuelan authorities, this was not a random event but a failed attempt to assassinate or kidnap President Nicolás Maduro.
The operation, which resulted in eight deaths and dozens of captures, was quickly dubbed the "Bay of Piglets" by observers, a nod to the infamous 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion. Among those imprisoned were two American former Green Berets, whose capture would ignite a complex international controversy involving accusations of a US-backed coup and denials from the highest levels of the American government.
The Capture and Confessions
The Venezuelan government's narrative was clear and immediate. Officials stated the operation was designed to kidnap Maduro and forcibly remove him from power. The captured men, described as a poorly equipped militia, were paraded before state media. Among them were two former soldiers from the elite US Army Green Berets, who had reportedly been hired to train the group for the mission in neighboring Colombia.
In what Venezuela termed "confession videos," the two Americans appeared on camera. They stated they were working on behalf of the US government, specifically under the direct orders of then-President Donald Trump. These videos were broadcast widely by state-controlled outlets, serving as the primary evidence of a foreign-backed plot.
- Eight people were killed in the raid
- Dozens of men were captured
- Two former US Green Berets were imprisoned
- Confession videos implicated the US government
"Trump, along with then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, flatly denied any American involvement in the plot."
— Source Content
Official Denials
The claims made in the Venezuelan state media were met with swift and categorical denials from the United States. Both President Trump and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected any suggestion of American government involvement in the plot. The US position was that the operation was a rogue or private venture, not a sanctioned state action.
This created a stark contradiction between the two governments. While Caracas presented the captured men as agents of Washington, the White House dismissed the incident as a fabrication or an unauthorized mission. The truth of who authorized the operation and why the captured Americans implicated their own government remained a central point of contention.
Trump, along with then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, flatly denied any American involvement in the plot.
A False Flag Narrative
Doubts about the official Venezuelan account soon emerged. The brother of captured American Luke Denman pointed out several red flags in the footage released by the Venezuelan government. The inconsistencies in the visual evidence suggested the possibility of a staged event, designed to serve a political purpose rather than document a real military operation.
This perspective was echoed by a spokesperson from the US State Department, who suggested the men in the footage were being used as pawns in a false flag operation. The theory posits that the Venezuelan government may have orchestrated or exaggerated the event to justify a crackdown on opposition, rally nationalist sentiment, and create a narrative of foreign aggression. The complex story, therefore, may be less about a failed coup and more about a carefully constructed political theater.
Key Takeaways
The "Bay of Piglets" incident remains a murky chapter in recent Venezuelan history. It highlights the deep mistrust between the US and Venezuelan governments and the use of media as a tool of political warfare. The event served as a powerful propaganda tool for the Maduro regime, allowing it to portray itself as a victim of American imperialism.
For the captured men, including Luke Denman, the consequences were severe imprisonment in a foreign country. For international observers, the episode underscored the difficulty of discerning fact from fiction in a landscape dominated by state propaganda and geopolitical rivalry. The incident continues to be a reference point for the complex and often clandestine nature of modern international conflicts.
