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Venezuelan authorities have been directed to track down and detain individuals linked to the military operation that resulted in the arrest of Nicolás Maduro.
A state of emergency decree, which was proclaimed on Saturday and made public on Monday, instructs law enforcement to “immediately initiate a nationwide search and apprehension of all individuals associated with promoting or supporting the U.S.-led armed attack,” as stated in the decree, according to a report by Reuters.
The specific charges that may be brought against those detained remain unclear.
Nicolás Maduro made his initial court appearance in New York on Monday, following his and his wife’s arrest by U.S. forces over the weekend.

Meanwhile, in Caracas, Venezuela, government supporters demonstrated on Sunday, holding dolls from the TV show “Super Bigote,” which features characters based on President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. They demanded the couple’s release from U.S. custody. The Venezuelan government has instructed police to pursue and arrest anyone associated with supporting the recent U.S. military action.
Both have been charged by the Justice Department with narco-terrorism and other offenses.
“I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything that is written here,” Maduro said in court as the charges against him were read.

A side-by-side photo of President Donald Trump and Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez. (Joe Raedle/Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images)
In Maduro’s absence, Delcy Rodríguez, his former number two, has been sworn in as the interim president of Venezuela. Rodriguez, 56, has long been a confidant and backer of Maduro.
She was the country’s vice president from 2018 through Sunday.
Despite denouncing the U.S. military operation, Rodriguez said in a Sunday social media post that the country aspires towards balanced and respectful international relations between Caracas and Washington.
“We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence,” she wrote.