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The Venezuelan military said it had won mercenaries after attempting a coup
A Venezuelan court has sentenced two former U.S. soldiers to 20 years in prison for visiting President Nicolás Maduro.
Luke Denman and Airan Berry were found guilty of conspiracy, illegal arms trafficking and terrorism.
The couple were among 13 people arrested in May when they tried to enter Venezuela by sea from Colombia.
Attorney General Tarek William Saab said proceedings will continue against others accused of assisting in the robbery.
In a tweet, Mr Saab shared images of cars, weapons and identity documents, saying that the American “mercenaries” had “acknowledged their responsibility for the facts”.
- Venezuela crisis in 300 words
- Venezuela accused Colombia of invading at sea
US President Donald Trump, long an opponent of Socialist President Maduro, has denied allegations by Venezuela that he was behind the incident.
The US supports opposition leader Juan Guaidó and recognizes him as the country’s legitimate leader.
What is the background to this?
Denman, 34, and Berry, 41, are former Special Forces soldiers who appeared in video shown on Venezuelan state TV earlier this year.
In the video, Denman appears to confess to his involvement in “Operation Gideon” – a plot to assassinate President Maduro or kidnap him and take him to the United States.
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President Nicolás Maduro (left) said the plot by Luke Denman and Airan Berry (right) was orchestrated by US President Donald Trump
He stated that he was hired to train Venezuelans in Colombia before returning to Caracas and taking control of an airport to take Mr Maduro out of the country.
Denman said he and Berry were contracted by a Florida-based security company, Silvercorp USA, to carry out the operation. The company is led by Jordan Goudreau, a U.S. military veteran who has admitted involvement in the operation.
The Washington Post has published a document stating that it is a contract between Silvercorp and the Venetian opposition worth $ 213 million (£ 170 million) to invade Venezuela and to overthrow President Maduro.
Opposition leader Juan Guaidó denied that he had anything to do with Mr Goudreau.
Relations between the US and Venezuela are exciting. Mr. Maduro has accused America of manipulating political opposition to steal the country’s vast oil resources. America and Mr Guaidó have blamed the president for the economic collapse of Venezuela.
