The United States seized a plane used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in the Dominican Republic on Monday in what the Venezuelan government condemned as an act of “piracy.”
In a press release from the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Caracas accused the United States of “unlawfully seizing a plane used by the president, an act which can only be described as piracy.”
The plane was seized by the US on Monday morning in the Dominican Republic. According to US Attorney General Merrick Garland, the plane had been illegally exported from the US, thus violating American sanctions against Venezuela.
Tensions between Venezuela and the United States have escalated in recent weeks due to the controversial reelection of Maduro on 28 July.
The opposition accused the government of widespread election fraud, a claim supported by the US, EU and several South American nations which refuse to recognise the results.
