Venezuela denounces kidnapping, officials support Maduro | US-Venezuela tensions

Venezuela’s Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez condemned the US abduction of President Nicolas Maduro as a “cowardly kidnapping”, citing the deaths of Maduro’s bodyguards, military personnel, and civilians. Padrino Lopez endorsed a Supreme Court ruling appointing Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as acting president. US President Donald Trump threatened Rodriguez with consequences if she does not cooperate. US forces attacked Caracas, taking Maduro to face narco-trafficking charges in New York. Protests in the US and Venezuela followed, with calls for investigations into the legality of the US actions and concerns about the future of Venezuela in the aftermath of Maduro’s abduction.

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