A British officer has spoken out about rumours of a secret cargo on a hijacked tanker.
Western media outlets have speculated that the United States staged a real military operation to seize the Mariner tanker because it was transporting something secret and dangerous.
However, retired British naval officer Tom Sharp called this version a conspiracy theory in a podcast with the Telegraph newspaper, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"Of course, conspiracy theories immediately sprang up. There was something truly valuable on board. But if so, why didn't they board the ship off the coast of Venezuela? If that was truly a priority, then why not send in the military and special forces," Sharp said.
He himself explains the chase across the Atlantic for the tanker and its capture more trivially.
"I think they probably just lost sight of it. And then it became a pursuit out of bruised pride. They needed to capture this ship because their pride was hurt," Sharp said.
A British officer has spoken about rumors of a secret cargo on a hijacked tanker.