Tensions in the Caribbean

Hegseth: 14 killed in new attacks on drug boats

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the US military has carried out three new attacks in the Pacific Ocean on what are said to be drug boats. 14 people were killed and one survived, according to the minister.

The US has recently carried out several attacks on boats in both the Pacific and the Caribbean Sea. Tuesday's statement is the first time the US has announced multiple attacks on the same day.

The AP has information that the attacks were carried out off the coast of Colombia. On X, Pete Hegseth has shared clips showing the attacks.

US agent tried to recruit Maduro's pilot

A US agent tried to recruit Nicolás Maduro's pilot, Bitner Villegas, to get him to land the president's plane at a location where the US could arrest Maduro, according to information to the AP.

In exchange, Villegas would have become “a very rich man,” and the final offer is said to have been worth nearly 500 million kronor.

Villegas is said to have been questioned by the agent when the presidential plane was undergoing repairs in the Dominican Republic in April 2024. However, he is said not to have explicitly agreed to the plans, but only to have left his phone number.

The agent took it as a sign, but then a hunt for answers followed that bore no fruit. He even managed to retire from his government job, but the search continued. On September 18 of this year, he is said to have sent the following text message:

“The window for a decision is closing. Soon it will be too late,” it said, before Villegas blocked his number.