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CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan authorities have detained two U.S. citizens working with a U.S. military veteran who has claimed responsibility for a failed armed incursion into the oil producing country, President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday.

In a state television address, Maduro said authorities arrested 13 “terrorists” on Monday allegedly involved in a plot he said was coordinated with Washington to enter the South American country via the Caribbean coast and oust him.

Eight people were killed during the foiled incursion attempt on Sunday, Venezuelan authorities said.

Maduro showed what he said were the U.S. passports and other identification cards belonging to Airan Berry and Luke Denman, who he said were in custody and had been working with Jordan Goudreau, an American military veteran who leads a Florida-based security company called Silvercorp USA.

“They were playing Rambo. They were playing hero,” Maduro said, adding that Venezuelan authorities had caught wind of the plot before its execution.

Goudreau, who identified himself as an organizer of the invasion on Sunday, told Reuters on Monday that Berry and Denman were also involved.

“They’re working with me. Those are my guys,” he said by telephone.

The State Department did not provide any immediate comment on the alleged arrests. U.S. officials have strongly denied any U.S. government involvement in the incursions.

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The Army has provided service histories for three former Green Berets involved in a failed incursion into Venezuela earlier this week, an incident that’s still short on details.

The service records come the same day Venezuelan state-owned television released spliced clips from an interrogation of one of the two former Green Berets who Venezuelan authorities say was captured along with about 60 individuals from their Venezuelan irregular force.

Former Green Beret turned private security consultant Jordan Goudreau said in a video to announce the raid Sunday that he helped orchestrate the operation. He later identified his two colleagues as U.S. special forces veterans in a now deleted tweet. He did not respond to a request for comment placed at his office Wednesday.

Former Sgt. 1st Class Goudreau, 43, served on active duty as a special forces medical sergeant and indirect fire infantryman from 2001 to 2016. A LinkedIn account associated with Goudreau stated that he previously served in the Canadian Armed Forces for three years in the mid-1990s.

As a U.S. service member, he deployed to Iraq from November 2006 to April 2007 and from March 2010 to September 2010. He later deployed to Afghanistan from May 2011 to June 2011 and again from January 2014 to June 2014.

Goudreau received three Bronze Star medals, the Ranger Tab, Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge and Parachutist Badge.
Former Sgt. Airan Berry, 41, served on active duty as a special forces engineer sergeant from 1996 to 2013. He deployed to Iraq from March 2003 to June 2003; November 2004 to June 2005; and February 2007 to March 2007.

Berry received two Bronze Star medals, the Kosovo Campaign Medal, Ranger Tab, Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, the Special Operations Diver and Special Operations Diving Supervisor Badges.

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Originally posted by Rick Lee:
Why is the US State Dept. trying to help these guys get back home, if they weren't working for the US gov't? I certainly don't expect any country to ever admit to trying to overthrow another gov't. But using official channels to help these guys screams out that the US gov't. was in on it. If the US gov't. had nothing to do with it, the ringleaders are where they belong and will have to wait things out.

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Originally posted by Rick Lee:
Why is the US State Dept. trying to help these guys get back home, if they weren't working for the US gov't? I certainly don't expect any country to ever admit to trying to overthrow another gov't. But using official channels to help these guys screams out that the US gov't. was in on it. If the US gov't. had nothing to do with it, the ringleaders are where they belong and will have to wait things out.

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Originally posted by CPD SIG:
"When you come at the King, you best not miss"

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Originally posted by mrvmax:
That would have been impressive if 13 guys could have taken over the country.

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Originally posted by Sig209:

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Originally posted by mrvmax:
That would have been impressive if 13 guys could have taken over the country.

I have been reading a bit about this.

the WaPo had a pretty decent account of what their concept was

Apparently they were trying to stand up a 300 man force of ex-Venezuelan military soldiers.

I spent time thinking about it and I think you 'could' take down Venezuela w/ 300 men.

But they would have to be the right men working in concert with a 'legitimate' opposition leader. Extensive training in night operations with satellite comms and light anti-tank capability.

Planning and execution would have to be right on the money -- no room for error. 15-20 man strike teams simultaneously taking down key nodes at 0200hrs on D-day. Intel on precisely where Maduro was on the night of the take-down would have to be 110%. Weeks of rehearsals. etc etc

Wargame the top 5-8 people / places Maduro would call in an emergency and take them down simultaneously also.

huge Psyops / social media effort to rally the opposition masses the next day.

These guys were winging it IMO. By their credentials they should have known better but there may be more to the story.

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