New York/Caracas, January 4 (ANI): The United States on Saturday released a video showing arrested Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in handcuffs during a staged “perp-walk,” underscoring a dramatic end to his rule following a large-scale US military and intelligence operation in Caracas.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in a night-time operation and flown out of Venezuela before landing at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York. US authorities confirmed that both have been indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges related to alleged drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies.
Maduro is expected to be transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in New York City, a facility described by CNN as plagued by squalid conditions, chronic understaffing, inmate violence, and repeated power outages. Built in the 1990s to ease prison overcrowding, the MDC has previously housed high-profile inmates including R Kelly, Martin Shkreli, Ghislaine Maxwell, Sam Bankman-Fried, Sean “Diddy” Combs, and suspected cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia.
US President Donald Trump, addressing a press conference in Florida, said the operation rendered Venezuelan military capacities “powerless” and resulted in the capture of Maduro and Flores “in the dead of night.” “No nation in the world could achieve what America achieved yesterday,” Trump said, adding that both will “soon face the full might of American justice” on US soil. Authorities are yet to decide whether the trial will be held in New York or Florida.
Following the capture, celebrations were reported among sections of Venezuela’s opposition. However, Trump expressed a lack of confidence in opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, describing her as a “very nice woman” but claiming she lacks sufficient support within Venezuela to lead the country. Machado has called for the immediate installation of Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as president. Most Western governments regard Gonzalez as the legitimate winner of Venezuela’s disputed 2024 presidential election, according to CNN.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s Supreme Court ordered Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to assume the powers and duties of acting president, citing Maduro’s “material and temporary impossibility to exercise his functions” following his removal by the United States.
Reacting to his father’s arrest, Maduro’s son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, warned of betrayal within the ruling movement. In an audio message circulated on social media, he said, “History will tell who the traitors were,” while calling on supporters to mobilise and maintain unity within the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). He described the US action as “external aggression” and urged political and military coordination in response.
Maduro and Flores remain in US custody and are scheduled to make their first appearance before a federal judge in the Southern District of New York on Monday at 12 pm (local time). Both face charges linked to alleged narco-terrorism and drug trafficking conspiracies, as Washington continues to describe the operation as a decisive strike against what it calls an illegitimate regime in Venezuela. (ANI)
482 words, 3 minutes read time.
About The Author
