Venezuelan Boat Destroyed by U.S. Had No Drugs, Was Heading Back to Shore

The U.S. military strike on what the Trump administration described as a drug-carrying speedboat from Venezuela came after the vessel had turned around and was heading back to shore, raising fresh questions as members of Congress demand more information about the provocative attack, Lisa Mascaro, Aamer Madhani, Konstantin Toropin, and Regina Garcia Cano reported for the Associated Press (AP).

The new details come as the Trump administration continues to defend the strike. (Photo: Donald J. Trump Truth Social)

National security officials acknowledged during a closed Capitol Hill briefing this week that the boat carrying 11 people—described by the Trump administration as Tren de Aragua gang members—was fired on multiple times by the U.S. military after it had already changed course, according to two people familiar with the session who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The New York Times first reported the development.

The new details come as the Trump administration continues to defend the strike.

But lawmakers from both parties have criticized the rationale and questioned its legality, calling it a potential overreach of executive authority by using the military for law enforcement purposes.

In a letter to the White House, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and two dozen other Democratic senators said the Trump administration has provided “no legitimate legal justification” for the strike.