Click to view full size

Venezue­lan Pres­i­dent Nicolás Maduro has claimed that a group of para­mil­i­tary “ter­ror­ists” was in­ter­cept­ed while try­ing to en­ter the coun­try from Trinidad and To­ba­go with a cache of weapons.

He was speak­ing at the swear­ing-in cer­e­mo­ny for Jhoan­na Car­ril­lo, the new gov­er­nor of Su­cre State — a coastal re­gion in north­east­ern Venezuela that faces Trinidad and To­ba­go across the Gulf of Paria.

The state’s strate­gic lo­ca­tion has made it a key area in cross-bor­der se­cu­ri­ty con­cerns, es­pe­cial­ly amid ten­sions in­volv­ing mi­gra­tion and smug­gling routes.