Former Venezuelan military pilot Eduardo Fernández claimed on October 4th, 2025, that Venezuelan air defense systems did not detect five U.S. F-35 fighter jets that flew near the country's airspace. Fernández, reporting via the X account [@EduardojfmVzla](https://twitter.com/EduardojfmVzla), stated that the presence of the American aircraft was instead reported by an airliner that made visual contact with the F-35s. This information emerged during a reporting window that began on October 4th, 2025, at 5:38 PM UTC and concluded at 8:08 PM UTC. This claim follows U.S. Marine Corps training exercises involving F-35B fighter jets in the Caribbean, which concluded around 5:07 PM UTC on October 4th, 2025. The FBI also announced earlier on October 4th, 2025, within a previous reporting window, the dismantling of an international money laundering network allegedly tied to the children of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, resulting in two arrests. The FBI has not yet released further details regarding the charges or the full extent of that operation.
