Authorities have been directed to locate and detain all individuals who supported the military action that resulted in the apprehension of Nicolás Maduro.
According to a Reuters report on the decree’s text, a state of emergency order, authorized on Saturday and released on Monday, instructs police to “promptly commence a nationwide hunt for and apprehension of all persons implicated in advocating for or backing the armed assault by the United States.”
The potential charges for those detained remain unspecified.
Maduro appeared in a New York court for the first time on Monday, following his and his wife’s capture by U.S. military personnel during the weekend.
The couple faces charges of narco-terrorism and additional crimes from the U.S. Department of Justice.
As the allegations were presented in court, Maduro stated, “I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything that is written here.”
With Maduro absent, his former second-in-command, Delcy Rodríguez, has taken the oath as Venezuela’s acting president. The 56-year-old Rodríguez has been a longtime ally and supporter of Maduro.
She served as the nation’s vice president from 2018 until Sunday.
While condemning the U.S. military intervention, Rodríguez expressed in a social media post on Sunday that Venezuela seeks balanced and respectful international relations with Washington.
She wrote, “We extend an invitation to the US government to work with us on a cooperative agenda focused on mutual development under international law, to foster enduring peaceful coexistence.”