Deposed Maduro pleads not guilty after capture in shock US attack on Venezuela
The Guardian••nation
Key Points:
- Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty to US federal charges including narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, and possession of weapons, following his capture by US special forces in a surprise raid in Caracas.
- The arraignment in Manhattan was brief, with Maduro asserting he is the legitimate president of Venezuela and claiming he was illegally abducted, while his wife Cilia Flores also pleaded not guilty amid reports of injuries sustained during the raid.
- The US operation, ordered by former President Donald Trump, triggered international condemnation, including an emergency UN Security Council meeting where the action was labeled a "crime of aggression" and a breach of international law.
- Trump justified the raid as necessary to combat drug trafficking and to seize Venezuela's oil resources, promising US control
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-22400154171-19eb2573d96647f8894478942b5721be.jpg)
