Overview
- New reporting says the Sept. 2, 2025 attack that killed 11 used a military aircraft painted to appear civilian with weapons concealed inside the fuselage.
- The White House confirmed an admiral, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, ordered a “double impact” that hit the vessel twice.
- Video and official footage indicate two survivors signaled to the low-flying aircraft before they were killed in the follow-on strike.
- The Pentagon says all platforms and munitions undergo legal review and that it employs standard and nonstandard aircraft based on mission needs.
- Since September, U.S. forces have conducted more than 35 strikes on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific with at least 123 deaths reported, later missions used clearly military aircraft including MQ-9 Reapers, and members of Congress have privately questioned possible perfidy without public disclosure of evidence tying victims to drug trafficking.