The lawsuit, shared in advance with the Guardian, says that Chad Joseph, 26, and Rishi Samaroo, 41, both of Las Cuevas, Trinidad, were returning to Trinidad from Venezuela when they and four other people were killed in the strike. It was the fifth attack announced by the White House under Donald Trump's campaign against the small go-fast boats the administration claims are connected to cartels and gangs.
US Coast Guard tactical teams worked closely with its counterparts at the Departments of War, Department of Justice and State and used their specialized expertise to conduct these operations and conduct two safe, effective boardings within hours of each other. One of these tankers, Motor Tanker Bella I, has been trying to evade the Coast Guard for weeks, even changing its flag and painting a new name on the hull while being pursued, in a desperate and failed attempt to escape justice.
The paper reported that US forces hit the targeted boat once, then hit it again the second strike killing two survivors clinging to the wreckage. According to the Post, the defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, had issued a verbal command to kill them all. Now that incident is under congressional scrutiny, with even some Republicans uneasy about what appears to be a clearcut case of a war crime.
Police in Trinidad and Tobago are investigating whether two citizens were among six people killed in a US strike on a boat allegedly transporting drugs from Venezuela. Without providing evidence, Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the strike killed six narcoterrorists in international waters, allegedly transporting drugs from Venezuela to the United States. Trinidadian police said residents of the village of Las Cuevas reported that the two citizens were on the sunken vessel, but could not confirm their deaths.
I was over, and met with him in Paris three weeks ago to really press the point about how significant delivering this maritime tactic is for us because of the taxi boat scenario. This was referred to by President Macron at the summit in July when he spoke with the [British] prime minister. So it is frustrating that it's taken the time that it has.