WASHINGTON, April 24 -- A US soldier faces charges for using classified information to bet on online prediction markets related to the US operation to capture former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, the Department of Justice said Thursday.

US Army soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, allegedly made over US$400,000 (RM1.6 million) by using the online platform Polymarket to bet on outcomes related to US forces arriving in Venezuela's capital Caracas and deposing Maduro - an operation he helped plan and execute, according to justice officials.

The US military launched strikes on Caracas on January 3, arresting Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores and whisking them to New York to face drug trafficking charges. ...