Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemns the US seizure of an oil tanker from Venezuela, calling it piracy. The AFP news agency writes.
- They kidnapped the crew, stole the ship and have inaugurated a new era - an era of criminal maritime piracy in the Caribbean, says Nicolás Maduro.
- Venezuela will secure all ships to guarantee the free trade of its oil worldwide, he adds.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi later released a video showing four US forces descending from a helicopter onto the deck of the oil tanker and then entering the bridge with their weapons raised.
On Thursday, the White House announced that the oil tanker would be taken to a US port and that the Americans intended to seize the oil.
According to Pam Bondi, the ship was part of an illegal oil shipping network that was used to transport sanctioned oil, writes AFP.
The seizure of the oil tanker could be a sign that the United States will start going after Venezuela's oil, which is the country's main source of income, writes the news agency Reuters.
For months, the Trump administration has increased pressure on Venezuela with a massive military buildup in the region. American forces have bombed a number of suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific, which has cost the lives of almost 90 people.
On Thursday, Trump told reporters at the White House that the United States will soon begin attacking drug traffickers on land. The president has previously warned of attacks on land, but it is unclear where and when they will take place, writes Reuters.
The Trump administration says the attacks in the Caribbean are aimed at stopping drug trafficking to the United States. Nicolás Maduro, on the other hand, claims that the United States is planning to remove him from office and that the United States is preparing for a coup attempt by building up its military forces close to Venezuela's coast.
/ritzau/
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