(Reuters) -Venezuela's government issued a statement on Sunday condemning what it claimed to be a military provocation by Trinidad and Tobago in coordination with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

Joint military exercises between the U.S. and Trinidad and Tobago are currently underway in the Caribbean and Venezuela said it had captured a group of mercenaries "with direct information of the American intelligence agency" and whose goal it was to carry out a false flag attack in the region.

The statement, issued by Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, did not offer further details or evidence of the false flag attack accusations.