The US is said to be planning to use special forces to take a rogue Venezuelan oil tanker in the North Atlantic as it races towards Russia.
The Trump administration wants to launch the audacious raid on the Russian-registered ship which is currently 500 miles off the coast of Ireland and would rather 'seize it than sink it', according to reports.
The mission to intercept the ship may come as soon as this week.
After the surgical strike on Caracas that led to the capture of President Maduro, the Pentagon has set their sights on the Bella 1 after sanctioning the vessel in 2024 for operating within a 'shadow fleet' of tankers transporting illicit Venezuelan oil.
And in what could be a diplomatic nightmare for Keir Starmer, it is believed American troops would use the UK as their launchpad for the assault.
C-17 Globemaster III and AC-130J Ghostrider gunships have landed at RAF Fairford over the weekend. The planes have come from Fort Campbell in Kentucky which is home to the 160th SOAR or Night Stalkers who carried out the attack on Caracas.
US military aircraft flying from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk are monitoring the ship, according to flight tracking data.
Also aiding the search are RAF Typhoon fighter jets, accompanied by KC2 aerial refuelling tankers.
The US Coast Guard had attempted but ultimately failed to intercept the Bella 1 as it sailed toward Venezuela to pick up oil before the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro.
It then turned around to escape seizure by US forces.
CBS today reported the US's plans to use special forces 'to seize' the ship.
The tanker evaded seizure in the Caribbean Sea last month, but has recently been spotted in the Atlantic, around 500 miles from Ireland's west coast, sailing under the Russian flag.
At one point while being pursued, the crew of the vessel painted a Russian flag on its hull, claiming it was sailing under Russian protection.
Not long after, the tanker appeared on Moscow's official register of ships under a new identity - the Marinera.
The Kremlin filed a formal diplomatic request in December demanding that the US stop pursuing the ship.
By claiming Russian status, the legalities of confronting the tanker could become more complicated.
At one point, Venezuelan officials had also discussed placing armed military personnel on the tanker - disguising them as civilians for defence purposes, according to CBS.
Plans for the capture of the oil tanker come amid a series of US military transporter planes landing at RAF Fairford carrying helicopters understood to be deployed in clandestine special forces operations.
Following the American military's capture of Maduro, as many as 10 C-17A Globe Master transporter planes landed in Britain.
After arriving in Fairford, US personnel unloaded Chinook and Black Hawk helicopters, both used by the regiment for special operations and deployed in the raid on Maduro's home.
A spokesman for the US air force did not confirm the details of the operation.
However, analysts have put forward the theory that the movement of equipment could be linked to a potential mission to capture the Marinera.
Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said the build-up could hint towards several potential missions.
Mr Savill explained that it could range from building up forces for a potential operation in the Middle East or Africa, to preparing a mission to board the Bella 1.
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