'Illegal and hostile': Venezuela claims US warship detained fishing vessel, crew for eight hours; accuses US of provoking conflict

The Venezuelan government said on Saturday that a US destroyer intercepted and boarded a tuna fishing vessel in the country’s Special Economic Zone, detaining it for eight hours.

According to foreign minister Yván Gil, personnel from a US warship boarded the boat, which was carrying nine fishermen, while it was sailing in Venezuelan waters.

Gil said the tuna vessel was “illegally and hostilely boarded by a United States Navy destroyer” along with 18 armed personnel, as cited by AP.

He added that the US personnel prevented communication and halted the crew’s normal activities during the eight-hour occupation. The fishermen were later released under escort by the Venezuelan navy.

“Those who give the order to carry out such provocations are seeking an incident that would justify a military escalation in the Caribbean," Gil said. He added that the aim was to “persist in their failed policy” of regime change in Venezuela.

At a press conference, Gil said the fishing vessel had authorization from the ministry of fisheries to operate and presented photos of the incident.

The incident comes amid escalated tensions between Washington and Caracas. Last week, American forces targeted and destroyed a vessel that departed from Venezuela. The attack killed 11 people on board and US president Donald Trump alleged that the boat carried drugs and members of the Tren de Aragua gang, though no evidence has been provided.

Venezuela rejected the account, accusing Washington of extrajudicial killings. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello called the US version “a tremendous lie” and suggested the incident may instead be connected to missing persons from a coastal region who, according to Venezuelan investigations, had no links to drug trafficking.

The Trump administration has also accused Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro of heading a cartel that traffics drugs into the United States, while raising the reward for his capture from $25 million to $50 million.