Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro shared a five-word statement whilst handcuffed as he was escorted to a New York detention facility, and is set to face court next week
Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has broken his silence nearly 24 hours after US forces seized him during an operation in Venezuela.
At least 40 people have been killed in the US attack on Venezuela, with the death toll made up of both civilians and military officials, a senior Venezuelan official has said. The Venezuelan President and his wife have now arrived in the US where they have been charged with several offences, including Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy.
Officials transferred the detained Venezuelan leader from one helicopter to another helicopter bound for a detention centre in Brooklyn – reportedly the same facility that previously housed high-profile inmates such as Sam Bankman-Fried. Maduro reached the holding facility just before 9 p.m. on Saturday evening.
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“Good night. Happy New Year,” a shackled Maduro remarked as multiple DEA officers accompanied him to his cell. The video shared on X has had a number of replies with users mocking Maduro for both his hat and his message.
One user wrote: “Poor guy has jet lag thinks it’s still new year!” Another wrote: “They really rolled out the blue carpet.” A third wrote: “What’s with the mickey mouse ears lmao.”
Maduro is due to appear before a federal court next week where he will allegedly face numerous charges concerning drug trafficking and illegal arms dealing.
Trump announced tonight the US would run Venezuela in the immediate aftermath of Maduro’s capture. Trump said: “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.”
Trump said the US would be “very strongly involved” in Venezuela’s oil industry following the military operation that ousted Maduro from power. In a move that appeared straight out of the America of the 2000s, Trump announced US oil companies would rebuild Venezuela’s infrastructure and to extract resources from the country.
“We’re gonna be very strongly involved in it,” Trump said of involvement in Venezuela’s oil industry. “That’s all. What can I say? We have the greatest oil companies in the world – the biggest, the greatest, and we’re going to be very much involved in it.”
What has Maduro been charged with?
A federal indictment charging Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, his wife and four other people with narco-terrorism conspiracy and other charges was unsealed and posted online by US Attorney General Pam Bondi on Saturday morning after the couple’s dramatic capture.
On top of the narco-terrorism conspiracy charge, the indictment alleges four other criminal counts: cocaine importation conspiracy; possession of machine guns and destructive devices; and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
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