Venezuela charges 2 former US soldiers with terrorism, conspiracy

Terrorism and conspiracy charges have been filed against two former US soldiers involved in a plot to topple the government in Venezuela.

Both former US soldiers Luke Alexander Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41, were among the 31 detainees who were arrested by the Venezuelan army.

According to reports, Attorney General Tarek William Saab  said the two Americans were charged with “terrorism, conspiracy, illegal arms trafficking and (criminal) involvement” and could face up to 25-30 years in prison. ” ۔

Several assailants were reportedly killed in the attack.

Tarek William  said Venezuela had applied for an international arrest warrant for the arrest of US army medic Jordan Goudreau, a former U.S. Army soldier who heads a Florida-based company, which he said offered strategic security services in exchange for compensation.

It should be noted that Jordan Goudreau had said in a media interview that he carried out this operation in Venezuela.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused US President Donald Trump of being directly behind the attack.

Trump, on the other hand, denied the allegations and told Fox News “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. No, no, no. It would be called an army,” he said. “It would be called an invasion.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US government  would “use every tool that we have available to try to get them back.”

A former U.S. military official from Florida claimed responsibility for the attack and confirmed that two of his trained U.S. personnel were currently in the custody of the Venezuelan government.

Jordan Goudreau , a senior U.S. military official, said two Americans, Aaron Berry and Luke Denman, had been working with him got arrested. “They were my men and they were working with me,” he said.

He added that he had launched an operation from Colombia on Sunday aimed at conquering Venezuela, in which eight people were killed off the coast of the coastal city of La Guevara.

He revealed the names of the two men arrested, who had worked with him in Iraq and Afghanistan and were on a mission.

The U.S. military says it has reached an agreement with opposition leader Juan Guido to topple Maduro’s government, but Guaido denies the allegations.

Goudreau said the deal was worth  $200 million and that he had a document signed by opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido, however, denied the allegations and said the president was fabricating such stories to divert attention from the country’s affairs and problems. ۔

Juan Guido is believed to be backed by the United States and is believed to have been involved in the failed plot to topple the Venezuela government.

President Maduro’s ally and Attorney General Tariq William said 114 people allegedly involved in the attack had been arrested and a further 92 were being sought.

The United States has imposed severe economic sanctions on Venezuela, accusing it of rigging the 2018 elections to oust Maduro, but the Venezuelan government accused the the United States and said US actually wants to capture vast oil reserves in their country.

Under Venezuela’s current President Maduro, the country is in a very difficult situation and the political and economic crisis is growing with each passing day.

Relations between Venezuela and the United States deteriorated to such an extent last year that diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed and there is no US embassy in the Caracas, capital of Venezuela.

On May 8, Maduro revealed that some armed men from neighboring Colombia had tried to enter the country by boat, but the attack was foiled.

The Venezuelan government has claimed that the attack was aimed to topple the government and kidnapping President Maduro, but their plan has been thwart, eight people  have been killed while two were arrested.

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