The State of San Andreas and the federal government have formally declared the Government of Coral Island hostile, after what Governor Diane Carrow called "clear and corroborated evidence" that the island's forces brought down aircraft over Los Santos during the riots and the earthquake last month.
The State says Coral Island did it to deepen the crisis and make itself indispensable to the recovery, and that it went on to win the agreement to help rebuild Los Santos that was signed on 1 October. That agreement has been terminated with immediate effect.
Speaking outside the Capitol on Friday, the Governor said the President of the United States had reviewed the evidence and countersigned the State's findings. A federal arrest warrant has been issued for Coral Island's President, Lucy Alvarez, who now faces charges including the destruction of aircraft and war crimes under United States law, alongside treason and murder charges brought by the State.
Weazel News has seen the State's summary of the evidence but has not been able to verify it independently. The Government of Coral Island has been asked for a response.
The Governor's statement in full
"Four weeks ago this city was on its knees. Buildings were coming down, people were trapped, the streets were not safe, and the people of Los Santos looked up and saw aircraft falling out of the sky.
"We were told at the time that no aircraft had been lost. That was not true. The statement was issued by the previous administration, and I take responsibility for correcting it today.
"Since I took office I have asked for every decision made in the name of this State after 25 September to be reviewed, and I asked the State Police, the San Andreas Air National Guard and our federal partners to establish what happened to the aircraft that came down over Los Santos. They have now reported to me, and I have read every page.
"The evidence shows that the aircraft that came down in Mission Row on the evening of Friday 25 September, and a second aircraft brought down the following day, were struck by forces acting for the Government of Coral Island. It shows that Coral Island's government had prepared and costed a contract to rebuild this city before the first conversation about that contract ever took place. And it shows that it went on to negotiate with this State, at a table I sat at, as a friend.
"A government that strikes aircraft out of the sky over a city in crisis, and then offers to rebuild that city at a price, is not a partner. It is a hostile power, and from today the State of San Andreas will treat it as one.
"I have not taken this decision alone. The President of the United States has reviewed the same evidence, and this morning countersigned the State's findings and issued a determination that the Government of Coral Island is a hostile foreign government. The federal government will act alongside us.
"I want to be very clear about one thing. The people of Coral Island are not our enemy. Coral Islanders living, working or staying in San Andreas are welcome here, and they will be treated with the same fairness and respect as anybody else. This is about a government, and about the people who gave the orders.
"To the families of the crews we lost: you were owed the truth a month ago. I am sorry it has taken this long. Those responsible will answer for what they did."
The statement is signed by Diane Carrow, 41st Governor of the State of San Andreas, and countersigned by Thomas A. Hale, President of the United States.
What the evidence says
The State's summary, prepared by the State Police with the San Andreas Air National Guard and the FBI, sets out three main findings. Weazel News has not been shown the underlying material.
First, radar records. The State says Air National Guard radar tracked a Coral Island-registered military aircraft operating over Los Santos without clearance, with its transponder switched off, minutes before the Mission Row crash on 25 September and again before the second loss on 26 September. The Guard confirmed last month that it had tracked a Coral Island Mammoth Avenger over Paleto Bay, describing it at the time as an authorised training flight.
Second, the wreckage. Fragments recovered from the Mission Row jet, the aircraft marked H-27 that the Guard later described as connected to "an ongoing operational matter", are said to have been traced by the FBI laboratory to munitions supplied to Coral Island's armed forces. Specialists told Weazel News at the time that the wreck showed none of the damage expected from small-arms fire, a point the State now says is explained by the type of weapon used.
Third, the money. The State says documents show that Coral Island had costed its part of the reconstruction of Los Santos, estimated at about $4.2 billion of an overall bill put at $11 billion to $17 billion, before talks with the State began on 27 September. The State alleges that the island's government planned to profit from the rebuilding of a city its own forces had helped to throw into chaos.
The State says both crew members of the Mission Row jet were killed. It has not released their names, at their families' request. Three crew members aboard the second aircraft survived with injuries.
The President's sign-off
In a Presidential Determination numbered 2026-14, President Thomas A. Hale designates the Government of Coral Island a hostile foreign government and confirms that he has reviewed the evidence presented by the State of San Andreas and the Department of Justice.
The President has also signed an Executive Order declaring a national emergency under the National Emergencies Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. It blocks all property and interests in property of the Government of Coral Island, its armed forces and named officials that are in the United States or held by United States persons, and bars American companies from doing business with them without a licence from the Treasury.
"The United States will not stand by while a foreign government attacks American aircraft over an American city," the President said in a statement released alongside the Governor's. "The State of San Andreas has the full support of the federal government, and those responsible will be brought to justice."
Lucy Alvarez: the charges
A warrant for President Alvarez's arrest has been issued by the United States District Court for the Southern District of San Andreas. Federal prosecutors have charged her with destruction of aircraft under 18 U.S.C. § 32, war crimes under 18 U.S.C. § 2441, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1349, relating to the reconstruction contract.
The State has brought its own charges: treason against the State under Penal Code § 37, which applies to anyone who owes allegiance to San Andreas, including residents; two counts of murder under Penal Code § 187; and conspiracy under Penal Code § 182. President Alvarez holds residency in San Andreas, and Weazel News reported last month that she had been seen in both Los Santos and Paleto Bay.
The State describes her as a war criminal. Under federal law, a war crime includes a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions and the deliberate killing of protected people during an armed conflict, and the charge carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Law enforcement agencies have been told to arrest her on sight. The public is asked not to approach her, and to call 911 or the FBI tip line with any information about her whereabouts.
What changes now
The agreement of 1 October, under which Coral Island was to send crews, machinery and cargo ships to help rebuild Los Santos, is terminated. The State says reconstruction will continue with other contractors and that nobody's support payments are affected.
The State has withdrawn its recognition of Coral Island's territorial waters, including Antigua. Coral Island-registered military aircraft and vessels are barred from San Andreas airspace and waters, and the Air National Guard has been authorised to intercept any that enter.
All government business with Coral Island is suspended. Coral Island government assets in San Andreas are frozen, and State agencies have been told to end any contract with companies controlled by the Government of Coral Island or its listed officials.
Civilian Coral Islanders in San Andreas are not affected by the declaration, the Governor's office said, and existing visas and residency remain valid.
What we still don't know
The State has not said who flew the aircraft it holds responsible, or whether anyone besides President Alvarez is facing charges. It has not explained why the San Andreas Air National Guard described the Coral Island flight over Paleto Bay as authorised training only last month, or whether the late Governor Ashcombe's office knew what had happened to the Mission Row jet when it said no aircraft had been lost.
Weazel News has asked the Government of Coral Island and the Office of the President of Coral Island for a response to the State's findings and the charges against President Alvarez. Neither had replied at the time of publication.
