Venezuela charges 2 Americans with terrorism and conspiracy
CARACAS: Venezuela has charged two former US soldiers with terrorism and conspiracy for allegedly taking part in a failed bid to topple President Nicolas Maduro, the attorney general said.
Luke Alexander Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41, were among 17 people captured by the Venezuelan military, which said it had thwarted an attempted invasion by mercenaries in the early hours of Sunday. Attorney general Tarek William Saab on Friday said they had been charged with “terrorism, conspiracy, illicit trafficking of weapons of war and (criminal) association,” and could face up to 30 years in prison.
Eight attackers were reportedly killed in the incident. Saab said Venezuela had requested arrest warrants - as well as inclusion in the Interpol system - for the capture of former US army medic Jordan Goudreau, who allegedly organised and trained the mercenary force. Maduro has accused President Donald Trump of being behind the alleged invasion - and Saab said the Venezuelans involved would be tried for “conspiracy with a foreign government.”
Trump has roundly rejected the accusation, telling Fox News on Friday: “If I wanted to go into Venezuela I wouldn’t make a secret about it.”
“I’d go in and they would do nothing about it. They would roll over. I wouldn’t send a small little group. It would be called an army. It would be called an invasion.”
Venezuela said on Monday it had arrested the two former US special forces soldiers and on Wednesday Maduro, who showed the pair’s passports on state television, said they would be tried. The US army has confirmed they were former members of the Green Berets who were deployed to Iraq.