US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that US forces had attacked a boat carrying drugs to the United States, killing 11 "narcoterrorists" from a gang he alleged was controlled by leftist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
Trump posted a video on Truth Social of an open-topped speedboat carrying a number of people traveling on a body of water before it exploded in a ball of flames. He wrote, "Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere. The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!"