US spy plane appears near Venezuela

Groups that monitor international aviation activities on January 31 detected a US Army EO-5C reconnaissance aircraft operating in the airspace of Colombia, a neighboring country of Venezuela.RTreport

The appearance of this reconnaissance aircraft with registration number N177RA in Colombia has raised speculation that it may be conducting an eavesdropping or intelligence gathering operation in Venezuela, in the context of the political crisis in this country increasing after the US declared its support for self-proclaimed "interim president" Juan Guaido.

The EO-5C reconnaissance aircraft was developed on the basis of the Canadian-made DHC-7 aircraft, equipped with modern equipment capable of detecting and intercepting radio waves and high-resolution cameras. The EO-5C is often used by the US military in military intervention and anti-drug operations in the South American region.

An O-5A, an early version of the EO-5C, crashed in 1999 in Colombia, near the Ecuadorian border, while on an anti-drug patrol, killing all on board. In 2014, an EO-5C was deployed over Libya to gather intelligence after the country descended into chaos following NATO's military intervention.

The United States is increasing pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to force him to resign, but has not discussed military intervention in the country. Meanwhile, Russia and China oppose any outside intervention and affirm that Maduro is the constitutional president of Venezuela.