On October 6, 2025, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro took to national television with a dramatic claim: his security forces had foiled what he described as a "false flag operation" to plant explosives at the United States embassy in Caracas. The announcement, made on his weekly TV program, immediately sent ripples through diplomatic and security circles, further straining already fraught relations between Venezuela and the United States.
According to reports from Tempo.co, Reuters, and France 24, Maduro asserted that this plot was orchestrated by terrorists from "extremist sectors of the local Venezuelan right," a phrase he has used before to describe political opponents. He said two credible sources—one domestic and one international—had independently agreed on the possibility that a local terrorist group had already placed an explosive device at the embassy. "This was backed by a person who will be known soon and asked for by a person who will be known soon, but this is all ongoing," Maduro stated, underlining the ongoing nature of the investigation.
Jorge Rodriguez, head of Venezuela's delegation for dialogue with the US, confirmed that Caracas had alerted Washington of the "serious threat." "We have reinforced security measures at this diplomatic mission," Rodriguez said, emphasizing the government's commitment to protecting the embassy despite the countries' political differences. Rodriguez also revealed that a European embassy had been alerted about the threat, though he did not specify which one.
The US embassy in Caracas has operated with a skeleton staff since 2019, after diplomatic relations between the two nations were formally severed. The embassy is essentially closed to the public, maintaining only a handful of local employees for security and maintenance. Despite this, Maduro stressed, "it is an embassy which is protected, despite all the differences we have had with the governments of the United States."
The alleged bombing plot comes at a time of heightened tension between the two countries. In recent weeks, US forces have carried out strikes on at least four vessels off the Venezuelan coast, which the Trump administration alleged were carrying drugs. These operations, involving US Navy ships, a submarine, and even F-35 fighter jets, have reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least 21 people. President Donald Trump, speaking to US Navy sailors in Virginia, boasted, "We're stopping drugs at a level that nobody's ever seen." The US has made Venezuela a focal point in its fight against drug trafficking, even as most illegal drugs entering the US are known to originate in or pass through Mexico.
Caracas, for its part, has responded by deploying thousands of troops along its land and sea borders and by signing up thousands of civilians to a militia. Maduro has repeatedly argued that the US military campaign is less about narcotics and more about regime change. "The goal was to lay blame for the attack on Venezuela’s government, which would then begin an escalation of conflict with the US," he said on television. According to Al Jazeera, Maduro described Washington’s military operation as a step towards US-backed government change in his country.
Diplomatic relations have been icy since 2019, when the US refused to recognize Maduro's 2024 re-election, which was widely rejected by the Venezuelan opposition and much of the international community as fraudulent. During his first term, President Trump recognized an opposition leader as Venezuela’s interim president and imposed sweeping sanctions on the country’s vital oil sector. Despite these efforts, Maduro has managed to cling to power, largely thanks to the support of the Venezuelan military.
In August 2025, Washington doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, accusing him of being one of the world’s major drug traffickers. The Trump administration has ramped up military and legal pressure, with a classified legal opinion from the US Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel reportedly authorizing the use of lethal force against a wide range of suspected drug cartel members. According to CNN, the opinion gives the president broad latitude to target individuals deemed an imminent threat to US citizens.
Meanwhile, the political situation in Venezuela remains turbulent. Rumors have swirled on social media that Maria Corina Machado, the country’s opposition leader, is hiding in the US embassy, though these claims remain unconfirmed. Washington has recognized a candidate backed by Machado, former senator Eduardo Gonzalez Urrutia, as Venezuela’s rightful president. After last year’s disputed election, Gonzalez Urrutia went into exile in Spain, while Machado and her allies have publicly supported US military pressure on the Maduro regime as a "necessary measure" for restoring popular sovereignty.
Amid these escalating tensions, President Trump has reportedly called off all diplomatic outreach to Venezuela. On October 6, The New York Times reported that Trump instructed his special envoy, Richard Grenell, to stop all efforts to reach a diplomatic agreement, a move widely interpreted as a sign that the White House may be considering further military escalation.
In a bid to seek international support, Maduro has turned to the Vatican. He announced that he had written to Pope Leo XIV, asking for help in maintaining peace and stability in Venezuela. "I have great faith that Pope Leo, as I stated in the letter I sent him, will help Venezuela preserve and achieve peace and stability," Maduro said, though he did not provide further details about the letter or any response from the Vatican.
The White House and US State Department have not publicly commented on the alleged embassy plot. Similarly, the Venezuelan government’s press office has not released additional details about the ongoing investigation or the identities of those allegedly behind the plot.
The foiled attack, if confirmed, would mark a dangerous escalation in the already volatile relationship between Venezuela and the United States. With both sides trading accusations of subterfuge and aggression, and with military assets deployed on both sides, the risk of a wider conflict cannot be ruled out. For now, the streets around the US embassy in Caracas remain heavily guarded, and the world watches anxiously as the next chapter in this high-stakes standoff unfolds.
With diplomatic channels frozen and military rhetoric on the rise, Venezuela’s future—and its relationship with the United States—hangs in a precarious balance, shaped by intrigue, suspicion, and the ever-present threat of violence.
