Germany breaks silence, questions legality of US operation that captured Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro

Unlike some other European countries, Germany initially refrained from condemning the US action.

In the wake of the attack, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said legal assessment of the operation was "complex" and would take time, while stressing that Germany had not recognized Maduro's presidency.

A government spokesman in Berlin on Wednesday took a more critical stance for the first time, saying the US had "failed to convincingly demonstrate to the UN Security Council that its actions complied with international law."

German opposition politicians have slammed the government for failing to condemn the US operation that saw special forces capture Maduro and his wife during an attack on Venezuela early on Saturday morning.

They have since been brought to New York and indicted on charges related to drug trafficking.

Both pleaded not guilty during the arraignment on Monday.

In a special meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday, the US defended its action as a "surgical law enforcement operation" against a "narco-terrorist" who was no legitimate head of state, noting that more than 50 countries had not recognized Maduro's 2024 re-election in a vote widely considered rigged.