Maduro pleads not guilty in Manhattan after US special forces capture

Deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty on Monday to drugs, weapons and narco-terrorism charges at a federal arraignment in Manhattan, two days after his capture by US special forces in an operation ordered by Donald Trump. The hearing lasted barely 30 minutes, during which Maduro was asked to confirm his name and that he understood the four charges against him.

He insisted he was "still president of my country", said he had been illegally "captured" at his Caracas home and called himself "a prisoner of war", adding in Spanish: "I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man." The indictment alleges four US federal counts, including "narco-terrorism" conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and possession of machine guns and destructive devices, each carrying a maximum sentence of life; he was first indicted in 2020 along with 14 members of his inner circle.

Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, also pleaded not guilty. She was seized in the pre-dawn raid in which at least 40 people were killed, including civilians and Venezuelan and Cuban security personnel; her lawyer said she sustained "significant injuries" and required medical examination for "severe bruising" on her ribs.

Both were brought from the Metropolitan detention centre to the Manhattan courthouse under tight security.

Key Topics

World, Nicolas Maduro, Cilia Flores, Donald Trump, Caracas, Narco-terrorism