NEW YORK: Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan leader who was captured by the US and brought here to face narco-terrorism charges, told a federal judge that he is innocent and is a “prisoner of war”.
Brought to court under heavy security on Monday for his first hearing, he said through a translator, “I am a kidnapped president. I am a prisoner of war”.
US Delta Force troops took him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from a military base in Venezuela in a precise operation on Saturday morning and flew them to New York.
During the court hearing, which was procedural, both said they were innocent of the allegations against them in the 25-page charge sheet.