Venezuela's Maduro to face new US charges over alleged torture of Americans, says official

Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his ‌wife Cilia Flores are expected to face new criminal charges in the US over the ‌alleged torture of Americans held in the ‌South American country, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.

The announcement could come as soon as Thursday, ⁠the official ​said. Maduro and ⁠Flores were captured by the US military from their ⁠homes in Caracas on January 3 and ​brought to New York to face drug ⁠trafficking charges. They have pleaded not guilty.

A spokesperson ⁠for ​the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office, which brought the charges, did not immediately ⁠respond to a request for comment. The possibility of new ⁠charges ⁠was first reported by CNN earlier on Wednesday.