Eleven people were killed on Tuesday during a US attack on a Venezuelan ship which, according to US President Donald Trump, was transporting drugs to the United States.
This was reported by the US President on his Truth Social platform.
The victims are believed to be members of the ‘Tren de Aragua' gang which, Trump claims, is controlled by Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
According to the US president, the attack took place in international waters in the southern Caribbean. No US soldiers were injured, Trump said.
"Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!” Trump tweeted.
Earlier this year, the US placed Tren de Aragua on its list of foreign terrorist organisations.
Relations between the USA and Venezuela have been poor for years, but in recent weeks, President Trump's administration has further increased the pressure: Washington sent warships to an area around Venezuela in the southern Caribbean, and increased its reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest to $50 million (€43 million).
The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Maduro of mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking and violent and terrorist acts in the United States and the Western Hemisphere.
