(MENAFN) Venezuelan authorities have alerted Washington to a reported plot by extremist groups to plant explosives at the closed U.S. Embassy in Caracas. National Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodriguez announced on social media Monday that the government had informed the United States “through three different channels” about what he described as “a serious threat.”

“Through a false-flag operation prepared by extremist sectors of the local right wing, there are attempts to place lethal explosives at the US Embassy in Venezuela,” Rodriguez wrote on Telegram. He added that a European embassy had also been notified, without specifying which one.

The U.S. Embassy in Caracas has been closed since 2019 but remains guarded by staff responsible for security and maintenance. Diplomatic ties were severed after Washington recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president, rejected Nicolás Maduro’s re-election as illegitimate, and imposed sanctions on Caracas.

Tensions have escalated recently following U.S. military strikes on vessels off Venezuela’s coast, which Washington described as part of an anti-drug operation. The attacks reportedly killed more than a dozen people and were linked to criminal cartels allegedly operating under Maduro’s protection. U.S. officials have accused the Venezuelan leader of close ties to traffickers, labeling him “effectively a kingpin of a narco-state.”

Maduro has rejected these claims, asserting that Washington aims to overthrow him and seize Venezuela’s natural resources. In response, Caracas has bolstered its defense posture to counter the increased U.S. military presence in the region.

Last week, reports indicated that senior aides were encouraging U.S. President Donald Trump to pursue Maduro’s removal, though the president has denied any intention of pursuing regime change.

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