Maduro tells US court he was ‘kidnapped’ as he pleads not guilty to drug charges
Tehran - BORNA - Judge Alvin Hellerstein read the charges against Maduro on Monday, including “narco-terrorism conspiracy,” and asked him to enter a plea. “I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything that is mentioned here,” the Venezuelan leader responded.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were transferred to the federal court in Manhattan from the Metropolitan Detention Center, a notorious jail in Brooklyn, under armed protection.
As he left the brief court session, an arraignment in which a defendant is formally read the charges, Maduro declared he was “a prisoner of war” and vowed he would win his freedom.
It could be well over a year before the couple face trial.
Maduro and his wife were abducted from their residence in Caracas on Saturday, flown out of Venezuela by helicopter, and then transported aboard a warship some 3,400 kilometers to New York City to face federal charges.
Escorted into the courthouse in a prison uniform and handcuffs, Maduro reiterated to the court that he had been “kidnapped” and insisted he remained president of Venezuela.
The assault that led to Maduro’s capture capped months of pressure and military buildup off the Venezuelan coast, with dozens of attacks on alleged drug vessels resulting in at least 115 deaths.
Caracas firmly denied any connection to drug trafficking and maintained that Washington aimed to overthrow the Venezuelan president in a bid to take control of the nation’s vast oil reserves.
Hours after the attack on Venezuela, US President Donald Trump said that the United States would run Venezuela temporarily and be "very strongly involved" in the country’s oil industry.
Meanwhile, Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s vice president, was sworn in early Monday as Venezuela’s new interim president.
Rodríguez, 56, a powerful figure in Maduro’s inner circle, has been endorsed as a stand-in leader by Venezuela’s military.
She condemned the US attack as a violation of the United Nations Charter and a unilateral attempt to force “regime change” in Venezuela shortly after it was launched.
She insisted that Maduro continued to be the legitimate leader of the country.
Trump said on Saturday that his administration was in contact with Rodríguez, saying that she was willing to cooperate with Washington.
However, on Sunday, the US president threatened another military strike if Rodríguez “doesn’t do what’s right.” Trump also raised the possibility of ordering military action against Colombia.
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