Venezuela orders arrests after U.S. operation detains Maduro
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Venezuelan authorities have been ordered to find and arrest anyone who supported the military operation that led to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro.
The emergency decree, issued on Saturday but published on Monday, orders police to “immediately begin national searches for and apprehending anyone who encourages or supports U.S. armed aggression,” according to the text of the order, Reuters reported.
It is not yet clear what charges will be brought against those detained.
Maduro appeared at his first hearing in New York on Monday after he and his wife were arrested by US forces over the weekend.
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Government supporters hold dolls from the TV show Super Bigote, which follows President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, during a protest demanding their release from U.S. custody in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday. The government has ordered police to search and arrest anyone supporting the weekend US military operation. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Both were charged by the Department of Justice with narco-terrorism and other crimes.
While the charges against him were being read in court, Maduro said, “I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything written here.” he said.
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Side by side photo of President Donald Trump and Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez. (Joe Raedle/Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images)
In Maduro’s absence, his former number two, Delcy Rodríguez, was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president. Rodriguez, 56, has been a longtime confidant and supporter of Maduro.
He was the country’s vice president from 2018 until Sunday.
Although he condemned the US military operation, Rodriguez said in a social media post on Sunday that the country aspires to establish balanced and respectful international relations between Caracas and Washington.
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“We invite the U.S. government to cooperate with us on a cooperative agenda for common development within the framework of international law to strengthen the lasting coexistence of societies,” he wrote.
