Deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges of narco-terrorism in a New York court on Monday, two days after being snatched by US forces in a stunning raid on his home in Caracas.
Maduro, 63, told a federal judge in Manhattan that he had been “kidnapped” from Venezuela and said “I’m innocent, I’m not guilty,” US media reported.
Maduro’s wife Cilia Flores likewise pleaded not guilty.
The pair were snatched by US commandos in the early hours of Saturday in an assault backed by warplanes and a heavy naval deployment.
In a series of shock announcements over the weekend, President Donald Trump declared that the United States is now running Venezuela with an eye to rebuilding and controling its huge but decrepit oil industry.
Amid international alarm, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told an emergency UN Security Council meeting that there should be “respect for the principles of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity.”
There was sharp criticism Monday from Mexico, where President Claudia Sheinbaum said the Americas “do not belong” to anyone.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued a fiery statement saying that as a former guerrilla fighter he was ready to “take up arms” against Trump.
Maduro became president in 2013, taking over from his equally hardline socialist predecessor Hugo Chavez.
The United States and European Union say he stayed in power by rigging elections and imprisoning opponents, while overseeing rampant corruption.
The end to a quarter century of leftist rule leaves Venezuela’s approximately 30 million people facing uncertainty.
Some 2,000 Maduro supporters, including rifle-wielding men on motorcycles, rallied Sunday in Caracas, waving Venezuelan flags.
On Monday, deputies in the Venezuelan parliament shouted “let’s go Nico!” in support for the ousted leader.
For now, though, the Trump administration is indicating it wants continuity with the remainder of Maduro’s entourage — provided they submit to US demands.
Interim president Delcy Rodriguez, who was Maduro’s vice president, dropped an initially defiant posture on Sunday, saying she was ready for “cooperation.”
Trump has made clear there is no appetite for helping opposition candidates previously seen as the rightful winners of rigged elections to take power.
– ‘Need access to oil’ –
When asked what he needs from interim leader Rodriguez, Trump said: “We need total access. We need access to the oil and other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country.”
Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves. However the oil is difficult and expensive to produce and after years of international sanctions and mismanagement, the infrastructure is in poor shape.
Shares in US oil majors Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips shares surged on Wall Street early Monday.
