The two U.S. special forces hostages detained in Venezuela for their role in a failed coup appear to give a secret sign to say they are lying in video clips of their interrogation broadcast on state TV.
Airan Berry, 41, is shown in a video released Thursday being questioned about his treatment in confinement and whether his human rights had been respected.
‘Yes, as far as I’ve experienced, yes,’ Berry replied.
The former Green Beret appears to quickly look up as he speaks, however, a tactic that a former Navy Seal identified as a signal used by special forces to transfer a secret message that they are speaking under duress.
Ephraim Mattos, who provided medical training to a group of Venezuelans involved in the operation, noticed the signal being used by the other detained American, Luke Denman, in the clip released of him on Wednesday.
Denman had quickly looked off camera as he said that President Donald Trump had ordered the coup.
‘He looks off screen real quick,’ Mattos told the Wall Street Journal. ‘That’s him clearly signaling that he’s lying. It’s something that Special Forces guys are trained to do.’
A second video was released of Berry shortly afterward in which he is wearing different clothing and looks more disheveled.
In the first clip, Berry said that he understood now that his actions in the botched attack were illegal as he held up the contract detailing the mission he claimed was signed by coup ringleader Jordan Goudreau, and Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó.
‘I know that it’s illegal now, before it was a different understanding,’ he answered to a question about why he was training irregular forces in Colombia.
Berry was arrested alongside fellow American Denman and six Venezuelans on Monday as Maduro’s forces cut off their plot.
Denman appeared in a video clip shown during Maduro’s press conference on Wednesday.
He said in his video that the Americans were hired to ensure that an airport was secured during the attack that could be used to transfer President Maduro to the United States.
‘As far as I know, Luke and I were to be at the airport to bring in more,’ Berry claimed in the first video released Thursday.
As Denman had in his video, Berry held up a document that he said was a contract between fellow former Green Beret Goudreau, who hired him for the mission, and opposition leader Guaidó.
‘This contract was posted several days ago by Jordan Goudreau. It outlines my responsibilities with Silvercorp [Goudreau’s company] signed by Juan Guaidó, Jordan Goudreau and Juan Rendón,’ Berry added.
In the second video clip released minutes later, Berry is asked about his service in the U.S. comments and about U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s comments about the two American prisoners on Wednesday.
‘Mike Pompeo spoke about your arrest. What do you think about that?’ the unidentified interviewer asked.
‘I am not aware of that,’ Berry responded.
Airan Berry, 41, was shown in a this first video clip Thursday while being interrogated by Venezuelan officials about his role in a botched attempt to overthrown President Maduro
A second video of Berry was released shortly afterward in which he was wearing different cloths. The former U.S. soldier appeared more disheveled and bewildered in the video
During a press conference Wednesday, Pompeo said that the U.S. would use ‘every tool’ to secure the release of Berry and Denman.
When questioned about the U.S. government’s knowledge of the plot, Pompeo stated that there was no ‘direct’ involvement but added that if there had been, the result of the coup would have gone differently.
In his second interrogation video, Berry goes into further detail about the operation and his task in securing the airport. He said that he had been appointed coordinator to organize the arrival of planes into the airstrip.
They planned to use one of these planes to transport President Maduro to the United States where there is a $15million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
‘I would be in charge of calling back to Jordan and Jordan would make those coordination or has made those coordination with somebody in the United States and then we would bring that plane or expect waiting for that plane to arrive in the country,’ Berry said.
There were also further questions about the alleged contract between Goudreau and Guaidó that he claimed to be holding on the first clip.
Berry was asked about the money Goudreau’s company Silvercorp stood to make from the attempted coup.
Luke Denman (left) and Airan Berry (right): Two arrested US ‘mercenaries playing Rambo’ are paraded after failed attempt to overthrow Venezuela’s Maduro in a failed raid on Monday. Video clips of both detained men have been released by Venezuelan authorities in which they appear to deliver a secret signal to show that they are speaking under duress or lying
‘The only number I know is what I seen in the contract that you showed here is $220 million or something like that,’ Berry said.
‘I am not sure exactly. It’s his corporation. I am not sure how what his share is or how that works. I would assume it’s possibly millions,’ he added when questioned about how much Goudreau himself would earn.
His answer about his own pay packet stood in contrast to Denman’s response to the same question on Wednesday.
‘I don’t have a specific number right now that I can talk about or even aware of. I was told money would be good and I trusted him in that,’ Berry said while Denman had stated that he expected to earn between $50,000 and $100,000 of the mission was successful.
One of the major downfalls of the planned incursion was the group’s attempts to enter Venezuela from Colombia using fishing boats and a speedboat. One of the boats was spotted by locals, Venezuelan officials said, and authorities were alerted to cut off the attack and arrest the group.
Berry was asked why they decided to enter Venezuela by sea and not by land.
‘It seemed to be the preferred choice,’ he replied.
In the first video released Thursday, Airan Berry holds up a document he claims is a contract between fellow former Green Beret Goudreau, who hired him for the mission, and opposition leader Guaidó. Denman also held the same alleged contract in his video released Wednesday
On Wednesday, President Nicholas Maduro held up a document that he claims was a contract between Goudreau and Guaidó. Goudreau has said he was hired by Guaidó and has also produced a copy of an eight-page agreement he signed with what appears to be the signature of the opposition leader and he advisors. The opposition leader has refused to say whether the signature is authentic but has insisted he has no relationship with Silvercorp
A former Navy Seal has highlighted the gestures used in the interrogation videos and identified them as signs that the special forces soldiers could be lying.
Ephraim Mattos, who now runs a non-profit told the Wall Street Journal than Denman was looking off screen quickly to send a message that he was lying and speaking under duress.
Mattos has said that he had attempted to intervene in the coup in February as he suspected that Goudreau was misleading the Venezuelans.
‘I was like, all right, something’s way off. I need to talk to this Jordan guy, ’cause he’s going to get them killed. Something’s clearly wrong here,’ he said.
The videos of Berry were accompanied by comments from Jorge Rodriguez, Venezuela’s communications, culture and sectorial vice president who reiterated claims that the coup plot was initiated by Guaidó to overthrow Maduro.
He also reiterated claims that among those arrested were drug traffickers, one of which the Venezuelan government has claimed is a DEA agent.
‘The relationship between Juan Guaidó and these deserters and terrorists who train in Colombia with the Colombian and Venezuelan drug trafficking is perfectly clear,’ Rodriguez said.
‘President Maduro already showed yesterday the testimony of a Venezuelan drug trafficker who was the head of logistics in Caracas, who was going to receive the terrorists in Macuto, who had already lined up a truck, shelter and had provided all the special points where the terrorists had to go to cause the damage they had planned …
‘This gem right here, Elkin Javier Lopez Torres, who is also known as “Doble Rueda,” “La Rueda,” is one of the main bosses of Colombian drug trafficking in the La Guajira peninsula, in Colombian Guajira. And one of his specialties is butchering.’
It emerged Wednesday the the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the Department of Homeland Security knew about the training camps and had been tipped off earlier this year that Goudreau was allegedly weapons smuggling in Colombia.
A DEA source admitted that an informant tipped the agency off before March but a formal probe wasn’t opened as it did not know who Goudreau was at the time.
The DEA official speaking to the Associated Press said the information was also passed on to the Department of Homeland Security.
The DEA believed that the weapons were destined for leftist rebels or criminal gangs in Colombia, former officials said on the condition of anonymity.
US officials also discussed whether to organize the guerrilla fighters in the camps – but ultimately decided against it, according to the Washington Post.
The Colombians ‘were against it and we were against it,’ a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said.
Maduro has denounced the attack as part of a US-backed attempt to oust him from office and replace him with opposition leader Juan Guiadó.
He claimed that Venezuela was aware that the plot was underway and were prepared to meet with Goudreau’s group and arrest them.
INTERROGATION OF EX U.S. SPECIAL FORCES MEMBER AIRAN BERRY BY PRESIDENT NICOLÁS MADURO’S REGIME
What is your name?
My name is Airan Berry.
What is your age?
I’m 41.
Where do you live?
In the United States.
What is your address?
I don’t remember it. I have a new address. I just don’t have it. I don’t have it in my memory.
When did you enter the Army?
In 1996.
What has been your tactical training?
It was infantry.
When and where did you meet Jordan Goudreau?
I don’t exactly remember when. It was in the army at some point.
What was the job proposal from Jordan?
To come here, to come to Venezuela and provide support.
When did you fly from U.S. to Colombia?
In January I think.
Who accompanied you?
Jordan, Luke and what I learned to be a person by the name of Alex.
How did you move to Riohacha?
With a car.
Who accompanied you?
Luke and this Alex person.
Who received you?
Who what?
Received you?
Sequea [unclear].
How much would Jordan pay for the job?
I don’t exactly know.
How much did you expect?
I don’t know. It was only supposed to be for two weeks.
What is the training you teach?
More reviewing what they already know. How to go about it, working in a building, and basic clearing of the street.
How many times did you visit Colombia?
It was only one time.
How many times you visit Venezuela?
Once.
Where did you stay in Riohacha?
In a house.
Who received you in the Alta Guajira, in the border?
I don’t know. I wasn’t part of that.
Did you know about the document that describes the close of the operation?
Yes, I think so.
Did you see the tactical uniforms in the camp?
At some point we received tactical uniforms, yes.
Where did you live in Riohacha?
In a few houses. Three houses.
Who commanded in Riohacha?
Leo o Sequea.
How many people did you train?
From what I understand it’s 50 to 60 people.
What is Silvercorp company in charge of?
It’s a private corporation owned by Jordan Goudreau and it’s about all I understand about them.
What would be your mission after entering Caracas?
To advise the forces that were coming in, [unclear] and make our way to the airport as soon as we could.
Why did the government of the United States insist on attacking the government of Venezuela if Venezuela does not represent a threat to them?
I don’t understand why America would do that.
How much would Jordan pay you for the operation?
I don’t have any specific dollar sign or dollar amount to tell you.
Did you have a special contact with a special agent of the DEA in Caracas?
Me? No.
How many people make up Silvercorp?
As far as I know it’s just Jordan. I haven’t met anyone else but myself and Luke.
If someone tried to enter the U.S. with the intention of killing Donald Trump, what do you think would be the response of the U.S. in this case?
They would definitely protect the president.
What were the objectives of the mission?
I believe it was to obtain specific targets and I think to get Maduro.
Are you aware of other Silvercorp training camps?
Not to my knowledge, no.
Are you aware that Juan Guaidó in the end acted that contract illegally, that it’s a crime to sponsor insurgency actions against the people of Venezuela?
I understand that’s what you’re saying. I understand that’s what you’re saying.
Would you accompanying Luke to take the airport or would you do another objective once they took Caracas?
As far as I know, Luke and I were to be at the airport to bring in more [airplanes].
Are the other American soldiers advising these groups?
Not that I am aware of, no.
Why do you train irregular forces in Colombia to enter Venezuela knowing that it is illegal?
I know that it’s illegal now. Before it was a different understanding for me.
Being in the Alta Guajira, did you see a man in a wheelchair?
Yes.
Did you talk with him?
I did not talk with anybody.
Who talked with the man in the wheelchair?
Sequea. Sequea.
Have your human been respected in the place where you are confined?
Yes. As a far as I’ve experienced, yes.
Added to end of clip: This contract was posted several days ago by Jordan Goudreau. It outlines my responsibilities with Silvercorp, signed by Juan Guaidó, Jordan Goudreau and Juan Rendón.
SECOND INTERROGATION
How many times have you been on mission outside the U.S.?
Three times.
In which countries?
Iraq.
In what years and for how long did you serve?
For 2003, 2005, 2007. For a year.
Are you a Green Beret?
Yes.
Why did you decide to enter Venezuela by sea and not by land?
It seemed to be the preferred choice.
Did you belong to Group 10 of the U.S. Special Forces?
Yes.
Mike Pompeo spoke about your arrest. What do you think about that?
I am not aware of that.
Silvercorp has camps in Brazil?
No.
Have you given tactical training in Brazil or other Latin America countries for Venezuela intervening?
No.
What where the targets of the operation?
The target was to get DGCIM, SEBIN, Miraflores and the airport’s tower (control).
How did you get the data to draw up the plans?
Based on information from the group.
What would be your objective at La Carlota Airbase?
At La Carlota Airbase would be to secure the airstrip.
In your plans they mention a Ford vehicle. Who would be responsible for?
That information as known by Sequea.
Where would the aircraft that would carry out the extraction of President Maduro come from and what would be its destination?
I assume that it is the United States.
How would they carry out the extraction of President Maduro from Miraflores?
I am not exactly sure. However necessary.
How is the process of the army to assign you to a mission in another country?
Can you repeat the question?
How is the process for the army to assign you to a mission in another country?
I don’t understand how to answer that.
How is the process for the army to assign you a mission in another country?
They inform you and you go and you perform your services.
When was the last time you used the military uniform of your country?
In 2012.
What is your social security number?
XXX
Do you recognize the name Qasem Soleimani?
Somehow yes.
Why did they decide to attack on my first xxxxxxx?
I have no idea.
Have you been in Syria?
No.
Who was the president during your service?
Clinton, Bush, Obama.
Who would be in charge of coordinating the planes?
I would be in charge of calling back to Jordan and Jordan would make those coordinations or has made those coordinations with somebody in the United States and then we would bring that plane or expect waiting for that plane to arrive in the country.
How much would Silvercorp take to achieve the objectives of the so-called Operation Guideón?
The only number I know is what I seen in the contract that you showed here is $220 million or something like that.
How much money would Jordan earn if the operation was successful?
I am not sure exactly. It’s his corporation. I am not sure how what his share is or how that works. I would assume it’s possibly millions.
How much do you think Silvercorp would pay you if the operation was successful?
I don’t have a specific number right now that I can talk about or even aware of. I was told money would be good and I trusted him in that.
INTERROGATION OF EX U.S. SPECIAL FORCES MEMBER AIRAN BERRY BY PRESIDENT NICOLÁS MADURO’S REGIME
What is your name?
Luke Alexander Denman.
What is your age?
34.
Where you live?
In Austin, Texas.
When did you enter the army?
In 2006.
What has been your tactical training?
I was in the Army for five years. I did infantry and AIT training and I also did deep water dive training and aviation training for fixing aircraft.
Where and when did you meet Jordan Goudreau?
In Germany in 2009 or 2010.
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 exactly 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 that 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 [dollars].
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
Why the Donald Trump government insist on attack Venezuela if we don’t represent a threat for your country?
I don’t know.
Do you have knowledge about another training camps or private contracts to make invasions?
No.
Why did you train irregular groups as special force to invade Venezuela?
I believe that it was helping their cause.
I am going to ask you as a Venezuelan citizen and in your condition [as an] American soldier. What will be your reaction if irregular forces entered in your country in order to assassinate the president?
I wouldn’t like it.
Why?
That would probably mean more war.
Because if you realize that you were training irregular forces to enter Venezuela, which is a free country, you continued operating on Venezuelan soil.
Because I didn’t feel that that was the case. I was helping Venezuelans take back control of their country.
What other tasks involved taking control of the airport?
Securing the sector. Establishing our security. Communicating with the tower. Bringing in planes, one of which includes one to put Maduro on and take him back to the United States.
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 nearby. The first one was on 25th street I believe and the other one was somewhere between 30th and 37th.
Added edit to end of video: My responsibilities to Silvercorp are written on a contract or described on a contract signed by Jordan Goudreau, Juan Rendón and Juan Guiadó.