https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...attempt-kill-Venezuelas-President-Maduro.html
Dramatic moment Venezuelan army foils 'amateur' coup attempt led by Green Beret with his two Special Forces buddies - and 'backed by shadowy US billionaires' - as they set out to assassinate President Maduro with '300 hungry, untrained men'
By Frances Mulraney and Chris Jewers For Mailonline and Ap10:13 05 May 2020, updated 21:05 05 May 2020
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- New footage shows the shocking moment two U.S. former special forces soldiers were arrested in Venezuela Monday after their 'plot to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro' was foiled
- Luke Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41, were identified by Maduro in a press conference as he showed their passports and other forms of identification
- Maduro has accused the Trump administration and Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who have denied involvement
- The U.S. has led a campaign to oust Maduro, indicting the socialist leader as a narco-trafficker and offering a $15 million reward for his arrest in March
- They have instead lent support to Guaidó
- 'But it has nothing to do with our government,' Trump said Tuesday of the failed plot
- Ex-Green Beret Jordan Goudreau, 43, has claimed responsibility and said its aim was to capture Maduro
- Goudreau was planning a coup by training 300 soldiers in Colombia, reports say
- He is a former associate of Keith Schiller, Donald Trump's bodyguard
- Schiller accompanied Goudreau to a meeting last May to discuss security with representatives of Guaidó
- A shadowy group of US billionaires led by Roen Kraft promised support for the 'private coup' and also met with Schiller and Goudreau
- Kraft allegedly lured prospective donors with the promise of preferential access to negotiate deals in the energy and mining sectors with an eventual Guaidó government
- Guaidó has said he has 'no relationship nor responsibility for any actions' taken by Goudreau, and that Maduro is using the incident as a distraction
The moment two U.S. former special forces soldiers were arrested in Venezuela was dramatically caught on video as their 'plot to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro' was foiled.
The footage shows Luke Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41, being led from a fishing boat alongside six Venezuelan mercenaries and being forced to lie on the ground at gunpoint.
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The coup was coordinated by an ex-Green Beret named Jordan Goudreau, 43, who says the objective was to capture Maduro. Goudreau claims to have built a force of 300 men, reportedly backed by US billionaires.
President Maduro called the arrested men 'terrorist mercenaries’ and blamed the attacks on the Trump administration, Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaidó and neighboring Colombia, all of which have denied involvement. The U.S. has backed Guaidó as the country's leader.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump denied any involvement by the U.S. government.
'We'll find out. We just heard about it,' Trump said when asked about the incident and the Americans' arrests. 'But it has nothing to do with our government.'
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Two U.S. citizens arrested in Venezuela Monday are seen being taken into custody in a shocking new video following a foiled plot to capture the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the socialist leader has claimed. The footage shows Venezuelan authorities catching the group as they attempted to land in a fishing boat and arresting them. Pictured is Airan BerryThe group of 'mercenaries' were taken from the fishing boat at gunpoint and forced to lie on the ground during the arrest. The American men are seen here with six Venezuelans during the arrestLuke Denman (right) and Airan Berry (left), both former U.S. special forces soldiers, were identified by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during a press conferenceLuke Denman (left) and Airan Berry (right): Two arrested US 'mercenaries playing Rambo' are paraded after failed attempt 'to kill' Venezuela's Maduro in a failed raid, the president claimedOn Monday, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro used a press conference to display the equipment that had allegedly been seized by Venezuelan armed forces after capturing the 'mercenaries'The equipment captured from the group during the failed attack included Samurai Demon tactical masks, pictured centerThe equipment used by the group of 'mercenaries' aiming to capture the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The president blamed the attacks on the Trump administration, Venezuela's opposition leader and neighboring Colombia all of which have denied involvemenEight suspects were arrested Monday in Chuao, a village on the northern coast of the state of Aragua. The Venezuelan government announced the individuals were part of a foiled plan to remove President MaduroFormer Green Beret Jordan Goudreau (pictured center) said earlier on Monday that he was working with the two men on a mission intending to detain Maduro and 'liberate' Venezuela. Goudreau has claimed responsibility for the operation
During the press conference late Monday, President Maduro showed images of the fishing boats the alleged attackers used and equipment like walkie-talkies and night-vision glasses collected in what he called an 'intense' couple of days.
'The United States government is fully and completely involved in this defeated raid,' Maduro said, praising members of a fishing village for cornering one group in the sweep netting the 'professional American mercenaries.'
The United States has led a campaign to oust Maduro, increasing pressure in recent weeks by indicting the socialist leader as a narco-trafficker and offering a $15 million reward for his arrest.
Speaking about the two U.S. citizens that have been captured, he said: 'They were playing Rambo. They were playing hero,' adding that Venezuelan authorities had caught wind of the plot before its execution.
Six other Venezuelans were arrested alongside the American citizens,
CNN reports.
Maduro ally and Attorney General Tarek William Saab said that in total they've arrested 114 people suspected in the attempted attack and they are on the hunt of 92 others.
According to his social media accounts, Airan Berry served as a Sergeant First Class in the U.S. military from 1996 and 2013. He is listed as having attended school in Texas.
On Monday, Maduro accused Florida-based ex-Green Beret Goudreau of leading the incursion 'with terrorist mercenaries trained in Colombia to assault Venezuela and try to kill me'.
Goudreau said earlier on Monday that he was working with the two men in a mission intended to detain Maduro and 'liberate' Venezuela.
Goudreau is a former associate of Keith Schiller, Donald Trump's bodyguard. Schiller accompanied Goudreau to a meeting last May to discuss security with representatives of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó. Afterwards, Schiller claims he cut contact with Goudreau.
Luke Denman (bottom) and Airan Berry (top) as pictured during their arrest in Venezuela on MondayThe boat Americans Luke Denman and Airan Berry were arrested fromPresident Maduro showed images of the fishing boats the alleged attackers rode in onAiran Berry served as a Sergeant First Class in the U.S. military from 1996 and 2013. He is listed as having attended school in Texas.
A shadowy group of US billionaires led by Roen Kraft, an eccentric descendant of the cheese-making family, promised support for the 'private coup' and also met with Schiller and Goudreau.
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Kraft allegedly lured prospective donors with the promise of preferential access to negotiate deals in the energy and mining sectors with an eventual Guaidó government, said one of the businessmen told AP.
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He provided a two-page, unsigned draft memorandum for a six-figure commitment he said was sent by Kraft in October in which he represents himself as the 'prime contractor' of Venezuela.
Before dawn on Sunday, officials say the first attack started on a beach near Venezuela's port city of La Guaira, when security forces made the first two arrests and killed eight others attempting to make a landing by speedboats.
Luke Denman, 34, was arrested in Venezuela on Monday, President Maduro saidAiran Berry, 41, was among two Americans arrested in Venezuela on MondayLuke Denman, 34, was arrested in Venezuela on Monday, President Maduro said. His passport is shown hereAiran Berry, 41, was among two Americans arrested in Venezuela on Monday. His passport is shown hereVenezuelan state TV showed showed images of several unidentified men handcuffed and lying prone in a streetThrough a friend who works in private security, Goudreau was introduced to Keith Schiller (left), President Donald Trump's longtime bodyguard. Schiller has said he has since cut ties with GoudreauGoudreau is pictured here allegedly working security at a Donald Trump campaign rally in October 2018
The two Americans arrested Monday served in Iraq and Afghanistan with him in the U.S. military, Goudreau said, adding that they were part of this alleged mission in Venezuela called 'Operation Gideon.' The aim was to capture Maduro, he claims.
Sunday’s raid came after an AP report on Friday that revealed how Goudreau was planning a coup by training 300 soldiers in Colombia.
However, Ephraim Mattos, a former US Navy SEAL who trained some of the would-be combatants in tactical medicine, warned it was doomed to failure.
'You're not going to take out Maduro with 300 hungry, untrained men,' he said.
Venezuela has been in a deepening political and economic crisis under Maduro's rule. Crumbling public services such as running water, electricity and medical care have driven nearly 5 million to migrate.
But Maduro still controls all levers of power despite a U.S.-led campaign to oust him. It recently indicted Maduro as a drug trafficker and offered a $15 million reward for his arrest.
Venezuelan security forces escort one of eight individuals arrested Monday in Chuao, a village on the northern coast of the state of Aragua, who were participants of a plot to reportedly overthrow President Nicolás MaduroMaduro displayed walkie-talkies, passports, combat vests, credit cards and other military equipment when blaming the attempted attacks on the Trump administration
Venezuela and the United States broke diplomatic ties last year amid heightened tensions, so there is no U.S. embassy in Caracas. Officials from the U.S. State Department did not respond Monday to a request by The Associated Press for comment.
'I've tried to engage everybody I know at every level,' Goudreau said of the attempt to help his detained colleagues. 'Nobody's returning my calls. It's a nightmare.'
Goudreau's account of the confusing raid has at times seemed contradictory — for example, he says he was plotting a rebellion for months while claiming not to have received a single penny.
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó on Monday denied having anything to do with Goudreau
Guaidó said in a statement that he has 'no relationship nor responsibility for any actions' taken by Goudreau, who repeated assertions that Guaidó had a contract with Silvercorp USA, the war veteran's Florida-based security company, though he said he was paid only a tiny share of the amount agreed upon.
Venezuelan security forces lead one of the eight men arrested Monday for reportedly participating in a plan to kill President Maduro and topple his socialist government with help from the United States and ColombiaSecurity forces guard the shore area and a boat in which authorities claim a group of armed men used to land in the port city of La Guaira, Venezuela on Sunday, May 3, 2020
Meanwhile, a self-aggrandizing Maduro has thrived broadcasting videos on state TV of what he says was a flawless defense of the nation's sovereignty.
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On Monday, Maduro said 'The main objective was to kill the President of Venezuela,' during a televised speech on state television. 'A terrorist attack in the middle of a pandemic while our people rested one night.'
The government said it has mobilized more than 25,000 troops to hunt for other rebel cells.
Kay Denman, the mother of one of the Americans, said the last time she heard from her son was a few weeks when he texted her from an undisclosed location to ask how she was coping with the coronavirus pandemic.
She said she never heard her son discuss Venezuela and only learned of his possible capture there after his friends called when they saw the reports on social media.
'The first time I heard Jordan Goudreau's name was today,' she said when reached at her home in Austin, Texas.
Goudreau has said he reached an agreement with the U.S.-backed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó to overthrow Maduro, which Guaidó has denied. The opposition leader said he had nothing to do with Sunday's raid.
Goudreau says Guaidó never fulfilled the agreement, but the former Green Beret pushed ahead with an underfunded operation with just 60 fighters, including the two U.S. veterans.
He said he last communicated with Denman and Berry when they were adrift in a boat 'hugging' the Caribbean coast of Venezuela. They were still in their boat following an initial confrontation with the Venezuelan Navy early Sunday, he said.
'They were running dangerously low on fuel,' Goudreau said. 'If they had gone onto landfall, they would have gone to a safe house.'
Goudreau said the two were waiting for a boat on the Caribbean island of Aruba with emergency fuel to help extract them.
Opposition leader Juan Guaido (pictured) said the government was seeking to distract from recent violent events including a deadly prison riot on Friday and a bloody Caracas gang battle on Saturday nightThose Goudreau interacted with in the US and Colombia described him alternately as a freedom-loving patriot, a mercenary and a gifted warrior scarred by battle and in way over his head. He is pictured posing with a World War II veteran in an image from Instagram
The ex green beret who masterminded foiled attack on Maduro
Ex-Green Beret Jordan Goudreau, 43, is an American citizen and three-time Bronze Star recipient for bravery in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he served as a medic in US Army special forces.
Two former special forces colleagues said Goudreau was always at the top of his class: a cell leader with a superb intellect for handling sources, an amazing shot and a devoted mixed martial arts fighter who still cut his hair high and tight.
At the end of an otherwise distinguished military career, the Canadian-born Goudreau was investigated in 2013 for allegedly defrauding the Army of $62,000 in housing stipends.
After retiring in 2016, he worked as a private security contractor in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria.
In 2018, he set up Silvercorp USA, a private security firm, near his home on Florida's Space Coast to embed counter-terror agents in schools disguised as teachers.
He is said to live in Cocoa Beach, Florida, with his dog Finn.
According to the website, Silvercorp has planned and led International security teams for the President of the United States as well as the Secretary of Defense.
The company's website features photos and videos of Goudreau firing machine guns in battle, running shirtless up a pyramid, flying on a private jet and sporting a military backpack with a rolled-up American flag.
'He was always chasing the golden BB,' said Drew White, a former business partner at Silvercorp, using military slang for a one-in-a-million shot. White said he broke with his former special forces comrade last fall when Goudreau asked for help raising money to fund his Venezuelan regime change initiative.
'As supportive as you want to be as a friend, his head wasn't in the world of reality,' said White. 'Nothing he said lined up.
Venezuelan state TV showed showed images of several unidentified men handcuffed and lying prone in a street. One video clip showed authorities handling a shirtless man in handcuffs.
He was identified as a National Guardsman Capt. Antonio Sequea, who participated in a barracks revolt against Maduro a year ago. Goudreau said Sequea was a commander working with him in recent days on the ground in Venezuela.
Maduro ally and Attorney General Tarek William Saab said that in total they've arrested 114 people suspected in the attempted attack and they are on the hunt of 92 others.
Goudreau, a three-time Bronze Star U.S. combat veteran, claims to have helped organize the deadly seaborne raid from Colombia. Goudreau said the operation had received no aid from Guaidó or the U.S. or Colombian governments.
Opposition politicians and U.S. authorities issued statements suggesting Maduro's allies had fabricated the assault to draw attention away from the country's problems.
Goudreau said by telephone earlier Monday that 52 other fighters had infiltrated Venezuelan territory and were in the first stage of a mission to recruit members of the security forces to join their cause.
An AP investigation published Friday found that Goudreau had been working with a retired Venezuelan army general — who now faces U.S. narcotics charges — to train dozens of deserters from Venezuela's security forces at secret camps inside neighboring Colombia. The goal was to mount a cross-border raid that would end in Maduro's arrest.
Both Colombia and the United States have repeatedly denied previous Venezuelan allegations of backing military plots against the socialist government.
'We have little reason to believe anything that comes out of the former regime,' said a spokesperson with the State Department Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, speaking Sunday on condition of anonymity, referring to Maduro's government.
'The Maduro regime has been consistent in its use of misinformation in order to shift focus from its mismanagement of Venezuela.'
Maduro ally and Attorney General Tarek William Saab said in a press conference (pictured) that in total they've arrested 114 people suspected in the attempted attack and they are on the hunt of 92 others
Colombia's Foreign Affairs Ministry also rejected the claims made by what it called 'Maduro's dictatorial regime.'
Opposition leader Juan Guaido said the government was seeking to distract from recent violent events including a deadly prison riot on Friday and bloody Caracas gang battle on Saturday night.
'The regime is seeking to divert attention with a supposed incident in La Guaira plagued with inconsistencies, doubts and contradictions,' Guaidó's press team said in a statement.
Venezuela has been in a deepening political and economic crisis in recent years under Maduro's rule. Crumbling public services such as running water, electricity and medical care has driven nearly 5 million to migrate.
A group of protesters and relatives of prison inmates in Venezuela gather outside Los Llanos penitentiary after a riot erupted inside the prison leaving dozens of dead
A coalition of nearly 60 nations backs opposition leader Guaidó as Venezuela's legitimate leader, saying Maduro's 2018 election was a sham because the most popular opposition candidates were banned from running.
The United States has led a campaign to oust Maduro, increasing pressure in recent weeks by indicting the socialist leader as a narco-trafficker and offering a $15 million reward for his arrest.
The U.S. also has increased stiff sanctions, cutting off Venezuela's oil sector to choke Maduro from a key source of hard cash.
Iván Simonovis, a former high-ranking Venezuelan police official who now advises opposition leaders on intelligence strategy from Washington, speculated on Twitter that there might have been a clash between security forces on Sunday and suggested Maduro's government created the story of a plot to justify 'repression against the interim government and any Venezuelan who opposes the dictatorship.'
But in addition to U.S. economic and diplomatic pressure, Maduro's government has faced several small-scale military threats, including an attempt to assassinate Maduro with a drone and Guaidó's call for a military uprising, which was joined by few soldiers.
Maduro has overseen a six-year economic crisis that has left many citizens unable to obtain basic food and medicine and forced nearly five million people to emigrate.
The United States and dozens of other countries disavowed Maduro after his disputed 2018 election, which they say was rigged. They instead recognize Guaidó, who is head of the country's legislature.
But Maduro retains the backing of the country's armed forces as well as countries including China and Russia, which have harshly criticized the U.S. sanctions.
The Associated Press reported on Friday that an apparently ill-funded attempt to amass an invasion force of 300 men in Colombia involving a former Venezuelan military officer and Goudreau, suffered setbacks in March when a main organizer was arrested, an arms cache was seized and some participants abandoned its camps.
Retired Venezuelan National Guard Capt. Javier Nieto Quintero appeared in a video with Goudreau, urging members of the armed forces to help liberate the nation in an action he called 'Operation Gedeón.'
Nieto, when contacted by AP on a Miami telephone, declined to comment and hung up. Goudreau also declined to comment in a call from Caracas.
Diosdado Cabello, the No. 2 most powerful person in the country and eminence grise of Venezuela's vast intelligence network, linked Sunday's attack to key players in that alleged plot.
One of the men he said was killed, a man nicknamed 'the Panther,' had been identified as involved in obtaining weapons for the force in Colombia.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) released a wanted poster for Nicolas Maduro with a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the President's arrest in March
Maduro and his allies say the Trump administration is determined to end Venezuela's socialist government to exploit the South American nation's vast underground oil reserves. Maduro remains in power, backed by the military and with international support from Cuba, Russia, China and Iran.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, speaking on state TV Sunday backed by armed soldiers and tanks units, called the attackers mercenaries who 'don't have souls. They're cowards.'
Guaidó accused Maduro's government of seizing on this example of unrest to draw the world's attention away from embarrassing bloodshed in other parts of the country, including a prison riot days earlier that left at least 40 dead.
'Of course, there are patriotic members of the military willing to fight for Venezuela,' Guaidó said. 'But it's clear that what happened in Vargas is another distraction ploy.'
According to the Johns Hopkins University, Venezuela has seen 357 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with 10 deaths resulting from the disease.
The U.N. has said Venezuela could be one of the most vulnerable countries due to the disease due to a lack of hygiene products and water is hospitals, compounded by the overall impoverishment of the population
How the former Green Beret behind the failed Venezuela coup plot provided security for Donald Trump and hatched the plot after meeting the President's bodyguard, a billionaire member of the Kraft family and the country's opposition leaders in Miami
The leader of the failed Venezuela coup that has seen two former US special forces soldiers taken into custody struck on the idea after enlisting a billionaire backer and meeting with Donald Trump’s bodyguard.
Ex-Green Beret Jordan Goudreau, 43, whose website claims he previously worked security for President Trump,attended a conference in Miami of opposition leaders and it is here that he met Roen Kraft, an eccentric descendant of the cheese-making family, who then began raising money for a ‘private coup’.
Kraft lured prospective donors with the promise of preferential access to negotiate deals in the energy and mining sectors if the coup was a success. He represented himself as the 'prime contractor' of Venezuela.
Kraft denies giving Goudreau any money.
Goudreau also held meetings with Donald Trump’s longtime bodyguard Keith Schiller who accompanied him to the Miami event. At the meeting, Goudreau and Schiller discussed the security of opposition leader Juan Guaidó with his representatives.
The White House says Schiller cut off all contact after the meeting and Guaidó also denies involvement in the plot.
Jordan Goudreau, 43, pictured allegedly working security at a Donald Trump rally in North Carolina in October 2018A still from a video on Goudreau's company website Silvercorp claims to show the ex-Green Beret working security at a Donald Trump rally in North Carolina in 2018. The website lists the President of the United States among its clientsGoudreau’s focus on Venezuela started in February 2019, when he worked security at a concert in support of Guaidó‘Controlling chaos on the Venezuela border where a dictator looks on with apprehension,’ wrote Goudreau in an Instagram post of the concert (pictured), dubbed 'Venezuelan Aid Live'
Goudreau identified himself Sunday as the leader of a plot to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro named 'Operation Gedeón'.
The idea was sparked in February 2019 when Goudreau worked security at 'Live Aid for Venezuala’, a concert in support of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó organized by the British billionaire Richard Branson on the Venezuelan-Colombian border.
The three-time Bronze Star recipient came back from the concert looking to capitalize on the Trump administration's growing interest in toppling Maduro, and he held conversations with Guaido’s envoys; Roen Kraft and Trump's bodyguard Keith Schiller.
It’s unclear where Alcalá and Goudreau (pictured) got their backing, and whatever money was collected for the initiative appears to have been meagerAfter retiring in 2016, Goudreau worked as a private security contractor in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. In 2018, he set up Silvercorp USA (pictured), a private security firm, near his home in Florida to embed counter-terror agents in schools disguised as teachers
Planning for the incursion began after an April 30, 2019, barracks revolt by a cadre of soldiers who swore loyalty to Madura's would-be replacement, Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader recognized by the U.S. and some 60 other nations as Venezuela´s rightful leader.
Contrary to U.S. expectations at the time, key Maduro aides never joined with the opposition and the government quickly quashed the uprising.
A few weeks later, some soldiers and politicians involved in the failed rebellion retreated to the JW Marriott in Bogota, Colombia.
Soldiers and politicians involved in a failed rebellion retreated to the JW Marriott in Bogota, Colombia (pictured). The hotel was a center of intrigue among Venezuelan exilesPlanning for the incursion began after an April 30, 2019 barracks revolt by a cadre of soldiers who swore loyalty to Maduro’s would-be replacement, Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader (pictured) recognized by the US and some 60 other nations as Venezuela’s rightful leader
The hotel was a center of intrigue among Venezuelan exiles. For this occasion, conference rooms were reserved for what one participant described as the 'Star Wars summit of anti-Maduro goofballs' - military deserters accused of drug trafficking, shady financiers and former Maduro officials seeking redemption.
Among those angling in the open lobby was Goudreau, according to five people who met with the former soldier.
By this time, Goudreau had met with Schiller and accompanied him to a meeting in Miami with activist Lester Toledo, then Guaidó's coordinator for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
It is not certain how the pair met but Goudreau claims to have worked security at President Donald Trump's rallies with his private company Silvercorp.
According to the website, Silvercorp has planned and led International security teams for the President of the United States, as well as the Secretary of Defense, and Goudreau is seen in a video allegedly working at a rally.
At the Miami meeting, there was a lively discussion with Schiller about the need to beef up security for Guaidó and his growing team of advisers inside Venezuela and across the world, according to a person familiar with the meeting.
Schiller thought Goudreau was naive and in over his head, however, and he cut off all contact following the meeting, said a person close to the former White House official.
Schiller attended a March 2019 event at the University Club in Washington D.C. for potential donors with activist Lester Toledo (center), then Guaidó’s coordinator for the delivery of humanitarian aid
In Bogota, however, Toledo introduced Goudreau to a rebellious former Venezuelan military officer the American would come to trust above all others - Cliver Alcalá, ringleader of the Venezuelan military deserters.
Alcalá, a retired major general in Venezuela´s army, seemed an unlikely hero to restore democracy to his homeland. In 2011, he was sanctioned by the U.S. for allegedly supplying FARC guerrillas in Colombia with surface-to-air missiles in exchange for cocaine.
And last month, Alcalá was indicted by U.S. prosecutors alongside Maduro as one of the architects of a narcoterrorist conspiracy that allegedly sent 250 metric tons of cocaine every year to the U.S.
Alcalá is now in federal custody in New York awaiting trial. But before his surrender in Colombia, where he had been living since 2018, he had emerged as a forceful opponent of Maduro, not shy about urging military force.
Over two days of meetings with Goudreau and Toledo at the JW Marriott, Alcalá explained how he had selected 300 combatants from among the throngs of low-ranking soldiers who abandoned Maduro and fled to Colombia in the early days of Guaidó's uprising, said three people who participated in the meeting and insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations.
Alcalá, a retired major general in Venezuela’s army, seemed an unlikely hero to restore democracy to his homeland. In 2011, he was sanctioned by the US for allegedly supplying FARC guerrillas in Colombia with surface-to-air missiles in exchange for cocaine
Alcalá said several dozen men were already living in three camps he maintained in and around the desert-like La Guajira peninsula that Colombia shares with Venezuela, the three said. Among the combatants in the camps was an exiled national guardsman accused of participating in a 2018 drone attack on Maduro.
Goudreau told Alcalá his company could prepare the men for battle, according to the three sources. The two sides discussed weapons and equipment for the volunteer army, with Goudreau estimating a budget of around $1.5 million for a rapid strike operation.
Goudreau told participants at the meeting that he had high-level contacts in the Trump administration who could assist the effort, although he offered few details, the three people said. Over time, many of the people involved in the plan to overthrow Maduro would come to doubt his word.
From the outset, the audacious plan split an opposition coalition already sharply divided by egos and strategy. There were concerns that Alcalá, with a murky past and ties to the regime through a brother who was Maduro´s ambassador to Iran, couldn't be trusted.
Others worried about going behind the backs of their Colombian allies and the U.S. government.
They did have apparent backing, however, from Roen Kraft, an eccentric descendant of the cheese-making family who — along with former Trump bodyguard Schiller — was among those meeting with opposition envoys in Miami and Washington.
At some point, Kraft reportedly started raising money among his own circle of fellow trust-fund friends for what he described as a 'private coup' to be carried out by Silvercorp, according to two businessmen who he asked for money.
Kraft allegedly lured prospective donors with the promise of preferential access to negotiate deals in the energy and mining sectors with an eventual Guaidó government, said one of the businessmen. He provided AP a two-page, unsigned draft memorandum for a six-figure commitment he said was sent by Kraft in October in which he represents himself as the 'prime contractor' of Venezuela.
But it was never clear if Kraft really had the inside track with the Venezuelans.
In a phone interview with AP, Kraft acknowledged meeting with Goudreau three times last year. But he said the two never did any business together and only discussed the delivery of humanitarian aid for Venezuela. He said Goudreau broke off all communications with him on Oct. 14, when it seemed he was intent on a military action.
'I never gave him any money,' said Kraft.
Goudreau's plot quickly began to crumble in early March when one of the volunteer combatants was arrested after sneaking across the border into Venezuela from Colombia.
Shortly after, Colombian police stopped a truck transporting a cache of brand new weapons and tactical equipment worth around $150,000, including spotting scopes, night vision goggles, two-way radios and 26 American-made assault rifles with the serial numbers rubbed off.
Fifteen brown-colored helmets were manufactured by High-End Defense Solutions, a Miami-based military equipment vendor owned by a Venezuelan immigrant family.
High-End Defense Solutions is the same company that Goudreau visited in November and December, allegedly to source weapons, according to two former Venezuelan soldiers who claim to have helped the American select the gear but later had a bitter falling out with Goudreau amid accusations that they were moles for Maduro.
Nonetheless, Goudreau continued with the plot which launched Sunday but was quickly foiled by Maduro.
Early Sunday morning, an armed group of ten individuals used speedboats to land on a beach in the Caribbean port city of La Guaira.
'The main objective was to kill the President of Venezuela,' Maduro said Monday during a televised speech on state television. 'A terrorist attack in the middle of a pandemic while our people rested one night.'
Eight suspects were killed and two were arrested.
The failed attack continued Monday when authorities arrested eight men after they were alerted by fishermen in Chuao, a village on the northern coast of the state of Aragua.
Maduro ally and Attorney General Tarek William Saab said that in total they've arrested 114 people suspected in the attempted attack and they are on the hunt of 92 others.
Neither the US nor the Colombian governments were involved in the plot to overthrow Maduro, AP reports. Guaidó also denies involvement.
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He stood by comments made to Colombian media that he never signed any contract of the kind described by Alcalá, who he said he doesn't know.
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Two US 'mercenaries' are arrested after failed attempt 'to kill' Venezuela's President Maduro
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