Venezuela’s Maduro back in court after shock capture by US forces

Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro cut a relaxed figure Thursday as he returned to a federal court in New York for his second appearance since his capture by US forces in an extraordinary nighttime raid.During the one-hour hearing, the judge indicated he would not dismiss the case over Maduro and his wife’s apparent inability to afford their legal bill without aid from the Venezuelan government.The former leader, 63, and wife Cilia Flores have been held in a Brooklyn jail for almost three months since American commandos snatched the pair from their compound in Caracas in early January.The stunning operation deposed the strongman who had led Venezuela since 2013 and has since forced the oil-rich country to largely bend to the will of US President Donald Trump.Maduro has declared himself a “prisoner of war” and pleaded not guilty to the four counts he faces: “narcoterrorism” conspiracy; cocaine importation conspiracy; possession of machine guns and destructive devices; and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.Demonstrators show their support for the arrest of Nicolas Maduro outside a federal courthouse in New York on Thursday. Photo: AFPWearing a grey prison uniform, glasses and a headset for translation, he jotted down notes throughout the hearing and occasionally spoke to his lawyer through an interpreter.