Families of two Trinidadians demand accountability from US — Al Jazeera

The families of Chad Joseph and Rishi Samaru from Trinidad and Tobago called for the United States to be held accountable on the anniversary of the men’s disappearance. Relatives claim that both were killed on October 14, 2025, during a US strike on a vessel returning from Venezuela to Trinidad and Tobago.

As Al Jazeera reports, four more people were killed in a missile strike on the vessel. According to the families, Joseph and Samaru worked in Venezuela to support their families. Two days before returning to the islands, they called their relatives, after which contact with them was lost.

Lawsuit in federal court

In January, the families filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court in Boston, Massachusetts. They are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Constitutional Rights.

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The plaintiffs insist that Joseph and Samaru were fishermen and agricultural workers, not involved in drug trafficking. The families demand answers about the circumstances of the strike and accountability for the men’s deaths.

Campaign of strikes on vessels

Since September 2025, the US military has been attacking small vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, claiming that they are carrying so-called narco-terrorists. According to the outlet, at least 239 people have been killed as a result of this campaign.

Critics call these strikes illegal extrajudicial executions. According to Al Jazeera, the US government has provided little evidence to support claims that the passengers of the targeted boats were involved in drug trafficking and has not publicly identified those killed. Legal scholars have noted that even alleged involvement in criminal activity does not generally make the use of military force for law enforcement purposes lawful under international law.