Venezuela tensions: Maduro pleads not guilty, Mexico downplays threat of US intervention Top developments so far

Days after his capture from the presidential palace in Caracas, the overthrown Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty on Monday to multiple charges. He was captured along with his wife, Cilia Flores, by the US forces on Saturday and brought to New York City, where he is facing criminal charges. 

On Monday, an emergency order was passed in Venezuela, calling for police to detain anybody supporting the US raid. 

US-Venezuela tensions: Here are the top points to know

1. Maduro told a New York Federal court that he is not guilty on multiple charges, including narco-terrorism, on Monday.
2. Pleading innocent, he told the judge as he made his first court appearance on drug trafficking charges, “I was captured”. He added, “I am a decent man, the president of my country.” He repeatedly asserted that he is still the leader of Venezuela. 
3. Speaking in Spanish, his wife, Cilia Flores, said she was the first lady of Venezuela and pleaded not guilty. She asserted that she was “not guilty” and “completely innocent” of the charges against her. 
4. Maduro faces 4 charges — narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. 
5. Authorities have alleged that he is involved in coordinating cocaine trafficking with groups like the Sinaloa and Zetas cartels of Mexico, the FARC rebels of Colombia, and the Tren de Aragua gang of Venezuela. As per the charges, he is also allegedly linked to powerful international criminal groups and allegedly used state resources for drug trafficking operations. 
6. His defence has argued that the prosecution against him is politically motivated amid US efforts to challenge his leadership since the 2018 election. The US has considered Maduro an illegitimate dictator since he won the 2018 election. 
7. Mexican President Claudia Sheimbaum’s administration has downplayed the likelihood of a US military action against Mexican drug cartels despite Trump’s threats. 
8. “I don’t see risks (of that),” she said. “There is coordination, there is collaboration with the United States government.”
9. “I don’t believe in (the possibility of) invasion, I don’t believe even that it’s something they are taking seriously. Organized crime is not taken care of with (foreign military) intervention,” she added further.
10. Shots were fired near the Venezuelan presidential palace after Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as the acting president, as per news agency AFP.
11. While the government said the situation was under control, the report mentioned that unidentified drones flew over the Miraflores palace and security forces opened fire in response at around 8 pm (0000 GMT).