Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Venezuela attack: Former US special forces soldier says he led botched plot to overthrow President Maduro

Jordan Goudreau said he directed the secret military operation with the backing of Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido.

A former US special forces soldier has claimed responsibility for a failed attempt to invade Venezuela in a plot to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro.

Jordan Goudreau, a former Army Green Beret, said he directed the secret military operation with the backing of Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido in the anti-Maduro coup called "Operation Gideon".

Venezuela's government said it had killed at least eight of the attackers and arrested two others from the attack on Sunday involving a group of armed men.

The incident took place in La Guaira, about 20 miles from Caracas, and is understood to have launched from neighbouring Colombia.

"A group of terrorist mercenaries, organised and trained in Colombia, tried to disembark with war material off the coast of La Guaira," a statement released by the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) read.

Socialist party chief Diosdado Cabello said on state television that the attack was carried out by Colombia with US backing in a plot to overthrow Mr Maduro, whose presidency has been under dispute since last year.

Mr Goudreau and Javier Nieto, a retired Venezuela captain, posted a video from an undisclosed location saying they had launched the attack.

An investigation by the Associated Press found that the pair had been working to train dozens of deserting Venezuelan soldiers at secret camps inside Colombia.

The goal was to mount a cross-border raid that would end in Mr Maduro's arrest.

Both men, who live in Florida, declined to speak to journalists on Sunday.

Wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap, Mr Goudreau says in the video: "A daring amphibious raid was launched from the border of Colombia deep into the heart of Caracas".

He stands next to Mr Nieto in the clip, who is dressed in an armoured vest with a rolled-up Venezuelan flag pinned to his shoulder.

Mr Goudreau claimed that cells of his men were still on the ground and activating inside Venezuela, and said he hoped to join the rebels soon.

He also invited Venezuelans and Mr Maduro's troops to join the would-be insurgency.

In an interview with Miami-based journalist Patricia Poleo, Mr Goudreau provided a contradictory account of his activities.

He also spoke about the support he allegedly had - and then lost - from Mr Guaido.

Mr Maduro is believed to have rigged the last elections, and some 60 countries, including the US, now recognise Mr Guaido as Venezuela's interim president.

Mr Goudreau also revealed what he claimed was an eight-page contract signed by Mr Guaido and two political advisers for alleged "general services".

Venezuela's interior minister Nestor Reverol had described the attackers as "mercenary terrorists" who were threatening to destabilise the country's institutions and creating "chaos".

He said the defensive operation was ongoing and there could be further arrests in the coming days.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
×