Bogota (dpa) – US President Donald Trump on Tuesday denied allegations by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that Washington was fomenting violence in his country, saying they have "nothing to do with our government."

Maduro said on Monday that the United States was using the Covid-19 pandemic to "fill Venezuela with violence" and was employing mercenaries in search of excuses "to invade Venezuela."

The president said 13 people had been arrested, including two US citizens, whose passports he showed and whom he named as Airan Berry and Luke Denman.

Venezuela earlier said eight people had been killed on Sunday after an incursion attempt off the coast by "terrorist mercenaries." Caracas blamed the alleged incursion on the US and its ally, Colombia.

Speaking outside the White House, Trump said he had just been informed about Venezuela's accusations which had "nothing to do with our government."

"We'll find out, we just heard about it... But whatever it is, we'll let you know. But it has nothing to do with our government," he emphasized.

Maduro said Berry and Denman had been working with Jordan Goudreau, an American military veteran who heads the security company Silvercorp USA.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido cast doubt on the government's version of the events and said it was trying to "create confusion."

Maduro has often accused US and Colombia of trying to overthrow him.

The South American country is in a deep economic crisis, which has driven millions of people abroad, but Guaido has failed to oust the military-backed president.