Venezuela's prosecutor's office accuses the US of “war crimes” and “terrorism”. Request addressed directly to the judge in New York

The Attorney General of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, on Tuesday invited the American judiciary to “recognize the lack of jurisdiction” of the court where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is being tried for drug trafficking and terrorism following his capture by the United States, reports AFP.

The US military operation in Caracas and three other states on January 3, during which Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured, officially resulted in the deaths of 55 Venezuelan and Cuban soldiers who made up the security team of the Venezuelan leader, according to authorities in Caracas. Maduro pleaded not guilty Monday in federal court in New York, calling himself a “prisoner of war.”

The Venezuelan Attorney General asked on Tuesday the American judge Alvin Hellerstein to respect international law and recognize the lack of competence of the court he presides over to try the leader of a sovereign nation, writes Agerpres.

He also announced the appointment of three prosecutors to investigate the dozens of innocent civilian and military victims during the US attack, calling it a “war crime” and “an unprecedented aggression against the Venezuelan homeland”.

“The military operation without a declaration of war or a resolution of the UN Security Council is an illegal act of armed aggression of a terrorist nature,” Tarek William Saab stressed, calling for Maduro's immediate release.