Maduro Tells Manhattan Court That He’s Innocent of US Charges and Still the President of Venezuela

Two days after being abducted by US forces during a US attack on Caracas, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appeared before a US federal judge in Manhattan on Monday and said he was still Venezuela’s rightful leader.“I’m innocent. I’m not guilty,” Maduro told Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, who is 92 years old. “I am a decent man. I am still president of my country.” The Venezuelan leader also said he was a “prisoner of war.”

Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, also appeared before Hellerstein and appeared to have been injured during the US raid, based on reporting from The New York Times.