Maduro: 'Milei the bandit stole the plane from Venezuela'
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The Venezuelan President lashes out at his Argentinian counterpart for his role in the US seizure of a Venezuelan plane.
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds a small copy of his nation's constitution during a ceremony marking the start of the judicial year at the Supreme Court in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 (AP)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro slandered his Argentine counterpart yesterday, three days after the United States fulfilled the seizure of a Venezuelan plane held in Buenos Aires since June 2022.
In a televised statement, President Maduro said, referencing his counterpart, "They stole our plane... Milei the bandit stole the plane from Venezuela. Javier Milei, the hero of the extreme right," adding, "He acts crazy or he is crazy or both at the same time."
The plane was seized by the US and Argentina
US authorities have detained a Venezuelan cargo jet, claiming it formerly belonged to an Iranian airline purportedly associated with the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps. Caracas has condemned the decision, stating that the planes were transferred to the US covertly.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) website detailed on Monday that the American-manufactured jumbo jet was delivered to the US on February 11 by Argentina's government, which had held the aircraft in 2022.
According to US sources, the aircraft was formerly owned by Mahan Air, a sanctioned Iranian airline accused of transporting weapons and fighters for the IRGC, whom the US considers a "terrorist organization". No proof of such activity has been provided.
Mahan Air had previously sold the seized plane to Venezuelan cargo carrier Emtrasur in a transaction that, according to DOJ Assistant Attorney General, Matthew G. Olsen, allegedly "violated US export control laws and directly benefited the IRGC." He went on to say that the US was "committed to ensuring that the full force of US laws deny hostile state actors the means to engage in malign activities that threaten our national security."
The DOJ stated that the aircraft is currently being "prepared for disposition" but did not provide any other information.
Venezuela's government has branded the jet seizure as "blatant theft" and an act of "collusion" between the US and Argentina that violates civil aeronautics norms, as well as Emtrasur's "commercial, civil, and political rights."
