Maduro makes his first U.S. court appearance since capture
On Monday, ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denied charges of narco-terrorism following his dramatic capture by President Donald Trump, a move that shook global leaders and left officials in Caracas scrambling for a response.
Maduro, 63, pleaded not guilty in New York federal court to four criminal counts that include narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy and possession of machine guns and destructive devices, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Maduro is accused of overseeing a cocaine-trafficking network that partnered with violent groups including Mexico’s Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, Colombian FARC rebels and Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang. Maduro has long denied the allegations, saying they were a mask for imperialist designs on Venezuela's rich oil reserves. While world leaders and U.S. politicians grappled with the extraordinary seizure of a head of state, an emergency order in Venezuela, published in full on Monday, orders police to search and capture anyone who supported Saturday's U.S. attack.
Also on Monday, the U.N. Security Council debated its legality and implications. Russia, China and leftist allies of Venezuela condemned the raid.
U.N. Chief Antonio Guterres raised concerns about instability in Venezuela and the legality of Trump's strike, the most dramatic U.S. intervention in Latin America since the 1989 Panama invasion. U.S. Special Forces swooped into Caracas by helicopter on Saturday, shattered his security cordon and dragged him from the threshold of a safe room.
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