Trinidad PM rejects claims installation is in support of US campaign but opposition says ‘they have sold soul of nation’

• How the US pressure campaign against Venezuela unfolded in the Caribbean

The revelation that Trinidad and Tobago has approved the installation of a US military radar installation has stoked fears that the Caribbean could be drawn into the escalating crisis between the US and Venezuela.

Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, had attempted to allay concerns about a US C-17 aircraft that had landed in the country, claiming it was carrying marines to assist with a road construction project. She also claimed she was told that no marines remained in the country.