Khaberni - Venezuelan President, detained Nicolas Maduro, appears today, Monday, before a judge at the Federal Court in Manhattan, New York, according to what the court announced on Sunday, after he was arrested by American forces in a special military operation in Caracas.
According to American media outlets, Maduro will stand before the court Monday noon local time, where he will be formally notified of the charges against him. The case has been assigned to Judge Alvin Hellerstein.
Hours after his arrest early Saturday, Maduro was flown to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, then led handcuffed along with his wife Cilia Flores to the Drug Enforcement Administration office in Manhattan, where he underwent an initial investigation before being placed in a detention center in the Brooklyn area of New York.
The American authorities, on Saturday, released the text of the federal indictment against Maduro that attributes to him the crime of "drug-related terrorism" and other crimes, charges previously denied by the Venezuelan president.
Details of the Charges
In addition to the charge of "drug-related terrorism," the decision includes charges of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the United States, possession of machine guns, and destructive devices.
The decision also includes charges against Maduro's wife, who was arrested with him, his son, and other senior Venezuelan officials.
The judicial document alleges that Maduro and the other defendants, starting from 1999, collaborated with international gangs, including the Mexican Sinaloa and Zetas, groups from Colombia, as well as with the Venezuelan gang Trein de Aragua, to smuggle drugs into the United States.
It also claims that Maduro, during his tenure as the Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2006 and 2008, sold diplomatic passports to individuals involved in drug trafficking.
Protests in New York
In the meantime, dozens have demonstrated in New York against the detention of the Venezuelan president by the United States. The protesters gathered in front of Maduro's detention center in Brooklyn, protesting against the attack launched by the United States on Venezuelan territory, accusing it of "abducting" Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from the country.
During the demonstration, which lasted for hours in front of the detention center, protesters chanted demanding the United States to "lift its hands off Venezuelan territory" and release the Venezuelan president.
Accused the Trump administration of seeking to prosecute Maduro not to bring freedom to Venezuela, but to control its wealth and natural resources.
Meanwhile, the New York police imposed strict security measures in front of the detention center, where Maduro has been held since Saturday, with dozens of security personnel and police vehicles deployed to secure the vicinity of the demonstration.
