US Special Forces hostages give signal they are LYING: Airan Berry, 41, looks up quickly when asked if his human rights are being respected on Venezuelan TV day after Luke Denman, 34, looked off screen as he said Donald Trump ordered coup

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. 

'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. 

'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. 

He also held up an alleged contract detailing the mission. He said it was signed by coup ringleader Jordan Goudreau, who hired him, and Venezuelan opposition leader Juan 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. military and about U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's comments regarding the two American prisoners on Wednesday. 

Pompeo had stated that the U.S. would use 'every tool' to secure the release of Berry and Denman.

'Mike Pompeo spoke about your arrest. What do you think about that?' the unidentified interviewer asked. 

'I am not aware of that,' Berry responded, adding that if someone tried to enter the U.S with the intention on killing Trump, they 'would definitely protect the president'. 

He is particularly grilled about assassinated Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. Berry was asked if he recognized the name and why the U.S. would have wanted to kill the general.  

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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

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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

Berry also 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, where a plane would be organized to safely transfer Maduro to the United States. 

'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.  

Berry was asked about the money Goudreau's company Silvercorp, Goudreau and he himself stood to make from the attempted coup.

'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. 

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. 

Berry was asked why they decided to enter Venezuela by sea and not by land. 

'It seemed to be the preferred choice,' he replied. 

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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

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. 

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.   

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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

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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

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.  

'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. 

It emerged Wednesday that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the Department of Homeland Security knew about the training camps established by Goudreau and had been tipped off earlier this year that he 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.