CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) 鈥 Personnel from a U.S. warship boarded a Venezuelan tuna boat with nine fishermen while it was sailing in Venezuelan waters, Venezuela鈥檚 foreign minister said on Saturday, underlining strained relations with the United States.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tensions between the two nations escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump in August , off the coast of the South American country, citing the fight against Latin American drug cartels.
While reading a statement on Saturday, Foreign Minister Yv谩n Gil told journalists the Venezuelan tuna boat was 鈥渋llegally and hostilely boarded by a United States Navy destroyer鈥 and 18 armed personnel who remained on the vessel for eight hours, preventing communication and the fishermen鈥檚 normal activities. They were then released under escort by the Venezuelan navy.
The fishing boat had authorization from the Ministry of Fisheries to carry out its work, Gil said at a press conference, during which he presented photos of the incident.
Along with the statement, Venezuela鈥檚 foreign affairs ministry distributed a short video, taken, according to the ministry, by the Venezuelan fishermen. In the video, it is alleged that part of the fishing boat, U.S. Navy personnel and the U.S. warship can be seen.
鈥淭hose who give the order to carry out such provocations are seeking an incident that would justify a military escalation in the Caribbean,鈥 Gil said, adding that the objective is to 鈥減ersist in their failed policy鈥 of regime change in Venezuela.
Gil said the incident was 鈥渋llegal鈥 and 鈥渋llegitimate鈥 and warned that Venezuela will defend its sovereignty against any 鈥減rovocation.鈥
The Venezuelan foreign minister鈥檚 complaint comes days after Trump said that his country had and killed 11 people on board. Trump said the vessel had departed from Venezuela and was carrying members of the gang, but his administration has not presented any evidence to support that claim.
Venezuela accused the United States of committing extrajudicial killings. The South American country鈥檚 interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, said Washington鈥檚 version is 鈥渁 tremendous lie鈥 and suggested that, according to Venezuelan government investigations, the incident could be linked to the disappearance of some individuals in a coastal region of the country who had no ties to drug trafficking.
The Trump administration has accused Venezuelan President of leading a cartel to flood the U.S. with drugs, and from $25 million to $50 million.
The U.S. government has given no indication that it plans to carry out a ground incursion with the more than 4,000 troops being deployed in the area.
But the Venezuelan government has nonetheless called on its citizens to enlist in the militias - armed volunteers - in support of its security forces in the event of a potential incursion. On Saturday, it urged them to go to military barracks for training sessions.
