AP reported on the US attempt to recruit Maduro's pilot

Agents of the US Department of Homeland Security tried to recruit Venezuelan Air Force pilot Bitner Villegas to kidnap President Nicolas Maduro. This is reported by the Associated Press with reference to the investigation materials.

"All [the pilot] had to do was secretly direct the Venezuelan president's plane to a place where the US authorities could arrest him. The agent informed him that then the pilot would become a very rich man," the article says.

According to the investigation, possible destinations were the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico or the US Navy base at Guantanamo. The pilot declined the offer, but kept in touch with Agent Edwin Lopez.

According to the agency, a new recruitment attempt followed in August 2025 with the promise of $50 million. The AP notes that the operation demonstrates the scale and negligence of the long-standing US efforts to overthrow Maduro.

On October 24, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro addressed US President Donald Trump in English with an appeal to abandon military action against Caracas.

Earlier, on October 23, US President Donald Trump said that media reports about B-1 bombers sent to the border with Venezuela were not true.

On October 17, the US military attacked a ship in the Caribbean Sea allegedly carrying drugs. The anonymous official noted that the United States is carrying out such attacks allegedly as part of the fight against drug-terrorist groups from Venezuela.

In addition, on October 14, six people died as a result of a similar strike on the ship. According to Trump, US intelligence confirmed that the boat was carrying drugs and was linked to illegal drug and terrorist networks.

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