It was not the only moment during the 40-minute hearing when Maduro, wearing one blue and one bright orange shirt, professed his innocence.
The judge asked him to confirm at the beginning of the hearing that he was indeed Nicolás Maduro.
Usually, a defendant responds briefly to say who they are, but Maduro took the chance to tell the packed court that he was the president of Venezuela who had been kidnapped.
“I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela,” he said in a calm Spanish.
The judge interjected to tell him there would be a better “time and place” for him to share that.
He and his wife Cilia Flores were seized from their Caracas compound on Saturday and flown to the US as part of a special forces operation – here’s what happened
Today’s hearing ended with a tense exchange between a member of the public and Maduro, who said he was a “prisoner of war”, our reporter in court says
Outside, protesters have been gathering, with some brandishing placards – one reads “USA Hands-off Venezuela”, while another says “Thank You President Trump”
Earlier, dramatic images showed the pair being transferred to the courthouse in handcuffs, surrounded by armed officers
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s new leader Delcy Rodríguez is due to be sworn in before the country’s National Assembly.
Diplomats at the UN debate strikes and seizure of Maduro
Elsewhere in New York City, the UN Security Council has been holding an emergency session to discuss situation in Venezuela.
Venezuela: Ambassador Samuel Moncada says Venezuela has been the target of an “illegitimate armed attack lacking any legal justification”, accusing the US of a “flagrant violation of the UN charter”. He says this has happened because of “greed” for Venezuela’s natural resources.
United States: Ambassador Mike Waltz says the US carried out a “surgical law enforcement operation”, and describes Maduro as “an illegitimate so-called president”, a “fugitive from justice” and “not a head of state”.
Denmark: Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen expresses “deep concern”, adding the “inviolability of borders are not up for negotiation”. It comes after Trump reiterated claims that the US “needs Greenland from the standpoint of national security”.Maduro and his wife both plead not guilty in New York court
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Handcuffed and wearing tan coloured prison clothing Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were surrounded by heavy security as they were moved from a Brooklyn prison to the courthouse in Manhattan.
They were deliberately paraded in front of live TV cameras as the couple were first driven in convoy to a heliport, where they were flanked by heavily armed police and federal agents as they were transferred onto a helicopter. Maduro appeared to be limping slightly as he was made to bend over and bow his head whilst boarding the chopper.
Maduro and his wife are facing charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy and weapons charges.
The indictment against them states that for more than 25 years they have enriched themselves by working with international drug traffickers to ship illicit drugs into the US.
In the past hour they have both plead not guilty to the charges against them.
Speaking in Spanish, Maduro called himself the president of Venezuela and complained that he had been captured from his home in Caracas before he was interrupted by the judge.
The American attorney general, Pam Bondi, has said the former Venezuelan leader will soon face the full wrath of American justice.
Donald Trump has said Maduro will “go through a slog of a trial”. But it is likely to take years before a prosecution could be completed.
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