US Special Forces hostage Luke Denman, 34, is paraded on Venezuelan TV, admits to plot to capture Maduro and holds up coup contract, as Pompeo denies US involvement and says if he'd been 'directly' involved it would have 'gone differently'

• American citizen Luke Denman, 34, was paraded on Venezuelan state TV on Wednesday
• He was arrested Monday as part of a failed coup to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro that he claimed was commanded by President Donald Trump
• The former U.S. soldier said he was hired to train Venezuelan opposition soldiers in Columbia 
• The Americans were tasked with traveling to Venezuela and ensuring that an airport was secured so President Maduro could be flown to the United States 
• He also presented a document claimed to be a contract between the coup's ringleader Jordan Goudreau and Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaidó
• 'I was helping Venezuelans take back control of their country,' Denman said
• Secretary of State Mike Pompeo repeated that there was no U.S. government involvement in the plot
• He added that it would have gone differently if there had been as Maduro compared the botched attempt to the Bay of Pigs 

By FRANCES MULRANEY and ADRY TORRES FOR DAILYMAIL.COM-6 May 2020 

A former U.S. special force soldier arrested in Venezuela was paraded on Venezuelan TV Wednesday as he 'admitted to a plot to capture President Nicolas Maduro'. 

Luke Denman, 34, was arrested Monday alongside fellow American Airan Berry, 41, and six Venezuelan mercenaries as part of the foiled coup that he said was commanded by President Donald Trump through an ex-Green Beret named Jordan Goudreau, 43. 

'The only instructions I received from Jordan were that I should make sure to take control of the airport for safe passage transfer of Maduro and receiving airplanes,' Denman said.

'Take Maduro back to the United States'.  

In the broadcast, Denman also holds up a document that he says is the contract with Goudreau's company Silvercorp outlining his job for the mission. He states that it is signed by 

Goudreau, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, as well as his advisor Juan Rendón. 

It came after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ridiculed the idea of official government involvement Wednesday, saying: 'There was no U.S. government direct involvement in this operation.

'(If) we'd have been involved, it would have gone differently.'

Asked who may have bankrolled the operation, Pompeo said: 'We're not prepared to share any more information about what we know took place.' 

Luke Denman, 34, was arrested alongside  fellow American Airan Berry, 41, six Venezuelan mercenaries as part of the foiled coup of Venezuela. He appeared on Venezuelan TV on Wednesday speaking about the failed attempt

In the video broadcast to Venezuelan state TV, the American citizen identifies himself as Luke Alexander Denman from Austin, Texas. 

'It would properly mean World War,' he said of the scenario pitched by the interviewer in which Venezuelans would attempt an attack of the United States in the same way. 

He said that he entered the U.S. Army in 2006 and served for five years. He claims to have met Goudreau for the first time in Germany in 2009 or 2010.  

Goudreau has previously said that Denman served in Iraq and Afghanistan with him. 

FACT BOX TITLE

What was the job proposal from Jordan?

To meet Venezuelans in Colombia, train them and come with them into Venezuela to secure Caracas and secure and an airport here for [the plan].

When did Jordan contact you for the Job?

Jordan contacted me in early December but he didn't give me a lot of details about what it was.

When did you fly from the U.S. to Colombia?

In January, on the 16th.

Who accompanied you?

Jordan, Alex and Erik.

How did you get to Riohacha?

We took a car and Alex drove with myself and Erik.

Who accompanied you?

It was just Alex, myself and Erik in a car to Riohacha.

Who received you in Riohacha?

Jackal.

How much Jordan paid for the job?

I expected anywhere from fifty to one hundred thousand.

What is the training you teach?

Planning, mission planning and tactical work inside buildings.

How many times did you visit Colombia?

This the first time.

How many times did you visit Venezuela?

This is the first time.

Where did you stay in Riohacha?

There were some houses that the guys were living in that we stayed in at.

Who received you in Alta Guajira?

There was a man in a wheelchair and a group of more men with him.

Did you know about the document that describes the close of the operation?

Yes I saw it about a month, a month and a half ago, with Jordan's signature and Juan Guaidó's signature.

How many peoples come from Silvercorp?

Three that I am aware of, including myself.

Which kind of profile have the peoples who work in Silvercorp?

The only other person that is not Jordan is Erik and we both know Jordan from our military experience.

In which country is Silvercorp's operations right now?

Like right now?

Yes.

Just here.

How many groups was you training in Riohacha?

There was three small groups.

How many men in that group?

In total it was 60 to 70 [men]. Around 20 people per group.

Tell me about the instructions Jordan Goudreau gave to you and which was the targets?

The only instructions that I received from Jordan was to ensure that we took control of the airport for a safe passage for Maduro and receiving him into airplanes

Who commands Jordan?

President Donald Trump.

Who gave you the weapons and the tactical uniforms?

Jordan through Silvercorp.

What jobs does Silvercorp do?

Private security contracting, consulting, known in some places as mercenary work.

How many American contractors were in the camp and the operation?

Two including myself.

Can you describe Alex and how was your interaction with her?

She was late 30s, early 40s, 130-140 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes, light skin. She spoke Spanish and English and she drove us from Barranquilla to Riohacha.

Can you describe the man in the wheelchair?

He arrives in a nice fancy SUV. He had a nice shirt and gold jewelry on and he appeared to have some influence.

Who was leading the Venezuelan military deserters?

Captain Sequea.

How did know him?

I met him when we got to Riohacha.

Can you describe the safehouses where you stayed in Riohacha?

There was one that had a large brown garage door, front entrance to the left, a window to the left of that, two large threes in the front and a balcony on the second floor and the other one had a large gated area in the front. It was a white house and it had a police station very near by. The first one was on 25th street I believe and the other one was somewhere between 30th and 37th.

My responsibilities to Silvercorp are written on a contract or described on a contract signed by Jordan Goudreau, Juan Rendón and Juan Guiadó.

Denman said that he was first approached by Goudreau about the plot in early December but was given very few details. 

'I believed that it was helping their cause,' said of his involvement. 

'I was helping Venezuelans take back control of their country.' 

He says in the video clip that he flew into Columbia on January 16 with Goudreau and Airan Berry, 41, who was also arrested Monday. 

The former soldier added that the plan was to meet with Venezuelans and train them in Colombia. 

He describes being driven from the airport to Riohacha by a woman named Alex and that they stayed in safehouses there where they were visited by a man in a wheelchair that Denman says looked like he had 'some influence'. 

The former soldier adds that they were welcomed by a person named Jackal and that his job involved devlivering training to the Venezuelans on planning, mission planning and tactical work inside buildings.

While Goudreau has claimed a force of 300 was assembled, Denman says it was much smaller: 'There was three small groups. In total it was 60 so 20 people per group.'

After training, the Americans would then travel to Venezuela, he claimed, where they would work to secure Caracas and an airport. He said he expected between $50,000 and $100,000 for the job. 

Denman claimed to have no information on any other training camps and he said that just he and Berry had been contracted by Goudreau's company Silvercorp. 

He says that he and Berry were the only two Americans he knew to be contracted in the mission. 

Denman was asked to outline the leadership in the mission through a series of questions about who had commanded the coup and who had supplied equipment. 

When questioned about why the Trump administration may wanted to attack Venezuela 'if we don't represent a threat for your country', Denman answered 'I don't know'. 

At the end of the edited video, Denman presents a document which he says is a contract detailing his 'mercenary work' with Silvercorp that is signed by Guaidó, Goudreau and Rendón.

Earlier in the recorded clip he said that he had first seen the document just over a month before.  

President Maduro also presented the alleged contract as the press conference continued. The document describes a $212.9million fee for the mission.  

Goudreau, 43, has claimed responsibility for the attack but the U.S. government has denied all involvement. Goudreau claims to have built a force of 300 men, reportedly backed by US billionaires, to carry out the mission to capture Maduro and bring him to the United States. 

Maduro compared the failed attempt at his capture to the Bay of Pigs, the infamous 1961 failed landing of Cuban exiles who opposed Fidel Castro that was supported by the United States. 

The president on Wednesday claimed that Goudreau was linked to President Trump, claiming the ex-Green Beret provided Donald Trump with bodyguard and protection service on many occasions.

   

'I believe that the facts speak for themselves. Top tier testimonials have emerged that speak to the involvement of this ex-Green Beret, Jordan Goudreau, president and owner of Florida-based security firm Silver Corp,' Maduro said. 

'Jordan Goudreau was the one who contacted the State Department of the United States of North America to be the head of security for the show that they staged on the Cucutá border on February 22, 2019 with a famous billionaire Richard Branson, a multimillionaire [whose business has been] broken by the coronavirus.'  

The 'Live Aid for Venezuela' concert was reported by Associated Press as the event that spurred Goudreau to form a plot to overthrown Maduro. 

Maduro added further accusations about the coup, asking what the consequences would be if roles were reversed.  

'They will be judged with all of their rights. These Americans have found another Venezuela they didn't expect,' he said. 

'I would ask if a group of Venezuelans prepared an incursion against the United States in a city, in Miami, in New York, in Washington, and they were downright captured, what would happen to those Venezuelans? What punishment would they received? Would they capture them alive? Would they forgive them?' 

He later added that Venezuela would approach the United Nations and the International court about the attempted attack.  

'We are going to the International Criminal Court,' Maduro said. 

'We are going to the UN Security Council. I have given direct instructions to the ambassador, Professor Samuel Moncada, who is in New York, who is listening to us ... so that we can prepare a substantial complaint before the United Nations Security Council. ... What Venezuela wants is peace. 

'The affairs of Venezuelans are our affairs, our problems, and we with our own capacities, our own methods and models, only we must solve our problem.' 

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro holds a document during a virtual news conference in Caracas which he claimed was a contract signed between the coup's ringleader Jordan Goudreau and Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaidó

The contract the Maduro claims was signed as part of a failed attempt at a $212.9million coup by his opposition

U.S. former special forces soldiers Luke Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41, were arrested in Venezuela on Monday a day after eight people were killed and two others arrested linked to the coup plot. 

The leader of the failed Venezuela coup has apparently provided security for Donald Trump. 

Goudreau can be seen in footage with an earpiece at one of the president's rallies in Charlotte, North Carolina, in October 2018. He also claims to have provided security at a rally in Houston four days earlier.

The website for his private security firm Silvercorp claims he has planned and led international security teams for the President as well as the Secretary of Defense.

Luke Denman (left) and Airan Berry (right): Two arrested US 'mercenaries playing Rambo' are paraded after failed attempt 'to kill' Venezuela's Maduro in a failed raid, the president claimed 

President Donald Trump Tuesday denied any involvement by the U.S. government in Monday's failed attack.

'We'll find out. We just heard about it,' Trump said when asked about the incident and the Americans' arrests. 

'But it has nothing to do with our government.'

It has also emerged that he struck on the idea of a coup after meeting with Trump's longtime bodyguard Keith Schiller and speaking with a billionaire backer.     

Goudreau accompanied Schiller to a meeting in Miami with activist Lester Toledo, then Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó's coordinator for the delivery of humanitarian aid. 

The White House says Schiller cut off all contact with Goudreau after the meeting.     

 U.S. investigating ex-Green Beret, 43, who claimed responsibility for Venezuela raid to capture President Maduro

A former Green Beret who has claimed responsibility for an ill-fated military incursion into Venezuela that resulted in the arrest of two U.S. citizens is under federal investigation for arms trafficking, according to current and former U.S. law enforcement officials.

The investigation into Jordan Goudreau, 43, is in its initial stages and it's unclear if it will result in charges, according to a U.S. law enforcement official who spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. 

The probe stems from a frenzy of contradictory comments Goudreau has made since a small cadre of volunteer combatants he was advising on Sunday launched an impossible raid aimed at overthrowing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Members of the U.S. Congress are also asking the State Department about its knowledge of Goudreau's plans and raised concerns that he possibly violated arms trafficking rules.

Former Green Beret Jordan Goudreau (pictured center) has claimed responsibility for a failed operation to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro in a plan named 'Operation Gedeón'.

An AP investigation published prior to the failed raid places Goudreau at the center of a plot hatched with a rebellious former Venezuelan Army Gen., Cliver Alcalá, to secretly train dozens of Venezuelan military deserters in secret camps in Colombia to carry out a swift operation against Maduro. 

The U.S. has offered a $15 million reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest or conviction. He was indicted by the Trump administration in March on narcoterrorist charges .

The men were being readied for combat at three rudimentary camps in Colombia with the help of Goudreau and his Florida-based company, Silvercorp USA, multiple Maduro opponents and aspiring freedom fighters told the AP. 

But the plot seemed doomed from the start because it lacked the support of the Trump administration and was infiltrated by Maduro's vast, Cuban-trained intelligence network, the AP found.

The law enforcement official said Goudreau's comments suggests his work on behalf of the volunteer army may have violated laws that require any U.S. company supplying weapons or military equipment, as well as military training and advice, to foreign persons to seek State Department approval.

Experts agree that 

'Goudreau's public comments alone show he was exporting his lethal expertise into a foreign country,' said Sean McFate, a former U.S. Army paratrooper who worked as a private military contractor and is the author of a book, 'The New Rules of War,' on the foreign policy implications of privatized warfare. 

'This is a serious violation.'

Goudreau declined to comment on Tuesday. The State Department said it is restricted under law from confirming licensing activities.

The law enforcement official said Goudreau's possible involvement in weapons smuggling stems from the March 23 seizure by police in Colombia of a stockpile of weapons being transported in a truck. 

Alcalá claimed ownership of the cache shortly before surrendering to face U.S. narcotics charges in the same case for which Maduro was indicted.

The equipment used by the group of 'mercenaries' aiming to capture the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The president blamed the attacks on the Trump administration, Venezuela's opposition leader and neighboring Colombia all of which have denied involvement. Goudreau may have violated laws that require any U.S. company supplying weapons or military equipment, as well as military training and advice, to foreign persons to seek State Department approval

The stockpile, worth around $150,000, included spotting scopes, night vision goggles, two-way radios and 26 American-made assault rifles with the serial numbers rubbed off. 

Fifteen brown-colored helmets seized by police were manufactured by High-End Defense Solutions, a Miami-based military equipment vendor owned by a Venezuelan immigrant family, according to Colombian police.

High-End Defense Solutions is the same company that Goudreau visited in November and December, allegedly to source weapons, according to two former Venezuelan soldiers who claim to have helped the American select the gear but later had a bitter falling out with Goudreau amid accusations that they were moles for Maduro. 

The AP reports that it could not independent verify their account.

Company owner Mark Von Reitzenstein has not responded to repeated email and phone requests seeking comment.

Two former law enforcement officials said an informant approached the Drug Enforcement Administration in Colombia prior to the weapons' seizure with an unsubstantiated tip about Goudreau´s alleged involvement in weapons smuggling. 

The anti-narcotics agency, not knowing who Goudreau was at the time, did't open a formal probe but suspected that any weapons would've been destined for leftist rebels or criminal gangs in Colombia - not a ragtag army of Venezuelan volunteers, the former officials said on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. One of the officials said the information was later passed on to the Department of Homeland Security.

The DEA said it does not comment on ongoing potential investigations.

Authorities in Colombia are also looking into Goudreau as part of their investigation into the seized weapons shipment, a Colombian official told the AP on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing case.

Meanwhile, officials in U.S. Congress are expressing concern. Democratic congressional staff contacted the State Department multiple times on Monday seeking information about any possible contacts with Goudreau or knowledge of his activities, and whether his work may have violated International Traffic in Arms Regulations, according to a staffer on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private outreach.

Goudreau, a three-time Bronze Star recipient, has insisted that his work providing only strategic advice to the combatants doesn't require special licensing. Still, he acknowledged sending into battle two special forces buddies associated with Silvercorp and who are now in Venezuelan custody after the plot was foiled.

'You've got to introduce a catalyst,' he said in a phone interview with the AP on Monday from Florida. 

'By no means am I saying that 60 guys can come in and topple a regime. I'm saying 60 guys can go in and inspire the military and police to flip and join in the liberation of their country, which deep down is what they want.'

Goudreau has said he was hired by Juan Guaidó, who the U.S. and some 60 nations recognize as Venezuela´s rightful leader. To back his claim, he's produced an 8-page agreement he signed with what appears to be the signature of Guaidó. The opposition leader has refused to say whether the signature is authentic but has insisted he has no relationship with Silvercorp.

'The dictatorship insists on lying,' Guaidó said Tuesday in a virtual session of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, over which he presides. 'The interim government has nothing to do with this operation.'

Contradictions abound in Goudreau's account as well. 

In a televised interview with 'Factores de Poder,' a Miami media outlet popular with Venezuelan exiles, he claims he never received a 'single cent' for his work yet continued to prepare the men for battle, in the process going deep into debt. 

JJ Rendon, a Miami-based adviser to Guaidó, said that he gave Goudreau $50,000 as requested to cover some expenses. Goudreau acknowledged the payment to the AP and other media.

A person familiar with the situation said the agreement was signed by Rendon and another U.S.-based aide to Guaidó, lawmaker Sergio Vergara, in October. Guaidó at one point briefly greeted Goudreau via video conference - as evidenced by an audio recording made on a hidden cellphone by Goudreau and which he shared with the Venezuelan journalist.

'Let's get to work!' said a voice that appears to be Guaidó in the leaked recording. He makes no mention of any military incursion.

A few days later, the team cut off contact with Goudreau, realizing he was unable to deliver what he had promised and because they were not getting along, the person said. An attempt to reactivate the accord fell through in November because the opposition has abandoned support for a private military incursion, the person said.

The last contact with Goudreau was a few weeks ago when a lawyer on the veteran's behalf wrote Rendon seeking to collect a promised $1.5 million retainer. Goudreau, through intermediaries, made it known that if they didn't pay up he would release the agreement to the press, the person said.

It's unclear how the weapons were smuggled into Colombia. But Silvercorp in December bought a 41-foot fiberglass boat, Florida vessel registration records show, and proceeded in February to obtain a license to install maritime navigation equipment. On his application to the Federal Communications Commission, he said the boat, named Silverpoint and with a capacity for 10 passengers, would travel to foreign ports.

The boat next appeared in Jamaica, where Goudreau had gathered with a few of his special forces buddies looking to participate in the raid, according to a person familiar with the situation on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive dealings.

But as they were readying their assault, the boat broke down at sea on March 28 and an emergency position-indicating radio beacon was activated, alerting naval authorities on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao. Goudreau had to return to Florida, prevented from rejoining his troops prior to the landing because of travel restrictions put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

'He would have 100% gone out in a blaze of gunfire because that´s who he is,' said the person.