EXCLUSIVE: Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro's right-hand-man publicly exposed American mercenaries' names, photos and coup plan on live TV a month BEFORE failed 'invasion'
- Luke Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41, were captured in Venezuela for trying to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro in a failed coup this week
- On March 28, an episode of President Maduro's weekly low-budget propaganda show publicly exposed the American 'mercenaries'' plan on live TV
- The president's right-hand man Diosdado Cabello showed photographs of the coup's leader, Jordan Goudreau, calling him 'the gringo' and 'mercenary'
- The Americans went ahead with the ill-fated mission, despite Venezuela airing out the names and photos of Goudreau, Denman and Berry
- The presentation came complete with an elaborate organizational chart pinned onto a cork board and with photographs of individuals, cars and apartments
The Americans behind the failed Venezuelan coup went ahead with the ill-fated mission even though the country's ruling regime publicly exposed their plan on live TV more than a month earlier.
In footage unearthed by DailyMail.com Venezuelan state television claimed its government had infiltrated the 'mercenaries' and even aired photographs of the coup's US leader, Jordan Goudreau.
They also appeared to have the names of the other two Americans captured and paraded on TV this week, ex Green Berets Luke Denman and Airan Berry.
The revelation, alongside the apparent lack of funding and adequate equipment for the mission last Sunday, raises more questions as to why the disastrous operation ever went ahead.
On March 28, an episode of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro's weekly low-budget propaganda show publicly exposed the American 'mercenaries' plan on live TV. The president's right-hand man Diosdado Cabello led the presentation
Diosdado Cabello showed photographs of the coup's US leader, Jordan Goudreau
Jordan Goudreau, 43, who identified himself as the ringleader in a failed coup in Venezuela did not take part in the foiled plan as it went into action as his boat broke down at sea on March 28 and he was forced to return and remain in the United States because of coronavirus travel restrictions
Luke Denman (right) and Airan Berry (left), both former U.S. special forces soldiers, were captured in Venezuela for trying to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro in a failed coup this week
One photo from the broadcast had three icons of armed masked men tagged as 'Agente Yordan', 'Agente Lut' and 'Agente Aro'. It would appear the last two names referred to Denman and Berry, their first names written in a poor Spanish translation
On March 28 an episode of President Nicolás Maduro's weekly low-budget propaganda show called Con El Mazo Dando, or Swinging the Mace, the president's right-hand man Diosdado Cabello laid out the regime's version of the operation.
It came complete with an elaborate organizational chart pinned onto a cork board and with photographs of individuals, cars and apartments.
And during the dramatic reveal Cabello said three Americans were involved.
He named Goudreau, repeatedly calling him 'mercenary' and 'the gringo', and presented various photos of the former Green Beret taken from his company website and social media accounts – including one next to President George Bush and TV footage of Goudreau providing security at a Trump event.
'This is Jordan,' Cabello said with contempt, speaking in front of a gigantic photograph of the late Hugo Chavez as he flicked through printed-out photos.
He then moved to the board, where under the heading 'American Instructors', with various red arrows coming from various directions, he had three icons of armed masked men tagged as 'Agente Yordan', 'Agente Lut' and 'Agente Aro'.
Circling the three names with a marker pen he said: 'Mercenaries'.
It would appear the last two names referred to Denman and Berry, their first names written in a poor Spanish translation.
The broadcast appears to have been prompted by the arrest of former Major General Cliver Alcala, a hate figure for the Maduro regime who had been in exile since 2018.
'This is Jordan with George Bush,' Cabello says in Spanish during the broadcast as he presented this photo
He named Goudreau and presented various photos from his social media accounts, including a print out of his Instagram page
Cabello repeatedly called Goudreau 'mercenary' and 'the gringo' in Spanish
Cabello's presentation included an organizational chart pinned onto a cork board and photographs of individuals, cars and apartments
After a cache of arms was picked up by Colombian police near his home, he claimed they were bought under a contract with opposition leader Juan Guaido and with the intention to remove the rulers of Venezuela.
In a matter of days, Alcala was charged with narco-terrorism alongside Maduro by the US government.
He handed himself over for extradition on March 27th and is currently in the US, where he has claimed he would clear his name.
The following day, Cabello took to the airwaves to claim they were onto him all along.
Apparently believing the plan had now been shelved, he claimed Venezuelan forces were ready for the operation.
'The operation suffered a tough blow,' he said. 'We were going to give them a surprise. The best thing that happened was that the arms were taken, because if they hadn't been taken we would have been waiting for them for a lesson they would never forget.'
Cabello showed photos he alleged to be of Alcala's apartment, his car and where he would take his family on outings. Those could not be verified.
The broadcast appears to have been prompted by the arrest of former Major General Cliver Alcala, a hate figure for the Maduro regime who had been in exile since 2018
Luke Denman (left) and Airan Berry (right): Two arrested U.S. 'mercenaries playing Rambo' who were paraded after their failed attempt 'to kill' Venezuela's Maduro
Members of Operation Gedeón provided passport photos of the men to confirm their U.S. citizenship
Luke Denman (bottom) and Airan Berry (top) as pictured during their arrest in Venezuela on Monday
'We have been investigating this case for days. We have recordings and photos,' he boasted.
'Even the apartment where he lived. He had been infiltrated. For a long time. Infiltrated. How he moved. His car. Where it was parked. Photos of the living room in his apartment.
'This is a process we have been doing for a while and it came at the right time.'
'They were obsessed with killing us,' he added.
Cabello is reported to have been one of three or four figures in the ruling regime that were to be targeted in the operation - although all indications are that the plan was to take them to justice in the US.
Returning to the subject of Goudreau, he delved into the Special Forces veteran's Florida based security firm Silvercorp USA as he attempted to link him to the communist party's favorite adversary – the United States government.
'Without a doubt it is a shell company that gives services to others, that's how they do it. It's a front for the CIA,' he said, this time reading from a script but showing no evidence.
'The reality is that Silvercorp USA is used to undertake clandestine operations in various countries in the world, especially to finance groups of mercenaries and destabilize legitimate governments.'
Cabello added of Goudreau: 'He is known as very blood-thirsty.'
The men are former U.S. special forces soldiers and are among eight men captured by the security forces of the ruling Maduro regime
He had opened the anti-American show by slamming President Trump's handling of the COVID-19 crisis, calling it an 'international shame'.
In a rambling press conference following the capture of Americans Denman and Berry this week, embattled Venezuelan president Maduro boasted that his security forces had infiltrated the operation.
While the leader's speeches are usually padded with inflated claims, it would appear this time he got it right.
Denman, 34, and Berry, 41, were arrested along with six Venezuelans Monday for their role in the failed coup and both Americans have since appeared in interrogation videos broadcast on state TV.
The two Special Forces hostages both appeared to give secret signs that they were lying in the video clips.
