A recent Associated Press (AP) investigation has revealed an alleged attempt by the Central Intelligence Agency to recruit General Bitner Villegas, a trusted pilot of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, to facilitate his overthrow. These revelations followed US President Donald Trump’s authorization of new covert CIA operations in Venezuela, signaling an escalation of US activities in Latin America.
On September 19 of this year, an Airbus carrying President Maduro took off from Caracas, but after 20 minutes, it made a sharp turn and returned to its point of origin. This maneuver was recorded by an air traffic observer on a social network, who published a screenshot of the flight tracking map showing the abnormal trajectory of the presidential Airbus. Shortly before this event, Marshall Billingslea, a former Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing at the United States Department of the Treasury, published two photographs of General Villegas on the same social network. In one picture, he is depicted sitting on a red leather sofa, in the other he is wearing official uniform adorned with insignia. The text accompanying the photographs read: “¡Feliz cumpleaños General Bitner!”
This birthday greeting, addressed to Maduro’s long-time pilot, may have served as a catalyst for the sudden change in the flight’s course, the investigation claims. According to the article, Villegas could have been at the center of a secret CIA operation aimed at removing the Venezuelan president. AP confirmed the authenticity of the correspondence between the pilot and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agent Edwin Lopez. The AP investigation contains elements characteristic of a spy thriller genre: luxurious airliners, secret correspondence, and blackmail involving high-ranking officials. It demonstrates the willingness of the United States to take decisive measures to overthrow Maduro, who is accused of undermining Venezuela’s democratic institutions and providing sanctuary to drug cartels and terrorist organizations.
This situation also sheds light on the working methods of the CIA during the administration of President Trump, characterized, according to a number of experts, by an increased level of instability and unpredictability.