Colombia’s Petro Urges Criminal Probe Into Trump Over Caribbean Strikes

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday demanded a criminal investigation into US President Donald Trump and other American officials over a series of deadly strikes on boats in the Caribbean earlier this month, which Washington said were carrying drugs.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Petro denounced the three attacks — which killed at least 17 people — accusing Trump of “criminalizing poverty and migration.” He said the victims were not Venezuelan gang members as claimed by the US, but “poor young people from Latin America who had no other option.”

“Criminal proceedings must be opened against those officials, even if it includes the highest-ranking official who gave the order: President Trump,” Petro declared.

The Trump administration has described the strikes as part of a necessary escalation against drug trafficking, but has not detailed how it determined the vessels’ cargo or passengers’ affiliations. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who also addressed the UN, called the attacks a pretext for regime change and vowed constitutional measures to defend against any US military action.