Venezuela Declares State Of Emergency, Orders Arrest Of Those Backing US Attack

Caracas: The Venezuelan government on Monday published a decree declaring a State of External Commotion, granting sweeping powers to the presidency and instructing security forces to detain "any person involved in the promotion or support" of a US attack against the South American country, CNN reported.

The decree, dated Saturday, was signed by then-president Nicolas Maduro, who was captured earlier that day by US military forces and is currently being held in New York.

"The national, state, and municipal police agencies must immediately undertake the search and capture throughout the national territory of any person involved in the promotion or support of the armed attack by the United States of America against the territory of the Republic (...) with a view to their prosecution," the text stated, endorsed by the now acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, as per CNN.

The decree had originally been drafted and announced in late September, weeks after the United States began deploying naval assets in the Caribbean. However, its contents were not made public at the time and were later updated to reflect developments over the weekend, CNN reported.

The measure carries the force of law and will remain in effect for 90 days, with the possibility of an extension for an additional 90 days.

Under Venezuela's Constitution, the declaration of a state of emergency allows the president to exercise near-total authority over political, economic and social matters. This marks the first time the provision has been invoked since the current Constitution came into force in 1999, which permits such a decree in cases of conflict that “seriously endangers the security of the nation, its citizens, or its institutions,” CNN reported.

Meanwhile, Venezuela's deposed dictator, Nicolas Maduro, pleaded not guilty to multiple federal charges during his appearance before a New York City federal court on Monday, according to CNN.

Switzerland government too, has announced the immediate freezing of any Swiss-based assets linked to Venezuela's deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro, saying that if the assets are found to be of illicit origin, efforts will be made to ensure they benefit the Venezuelan population.