Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are set to appear in a federal Manhattan court on Monday, as confirmed by a court spokesperson. The hearing is scheduled for noon local time (17:00 GMT), according to reports from CBS News.
Following their apprehension, a federal indictment charging Maduro, his wife, and four others with narco-terrorism conspiracy and related offenses was unsealed and made public by US Attorney General Pam Bondi. The indictment includes charges of cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess such weapons.
Reports indicate that the couple is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal facility in Brooklyn, New York. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani revealed receiving a briefing on the capture of Maduro and his wife and their planned imprisonment in federal custody in New York City.
The Venezuelan leader and his spouse were reportedly captured by elite Delta Force soldiers during a US military operation that resulted in the loss of at least 40 lives, including civilians and military personnel. They were taken from their heavily secured residence within a military base while they were asleep and airlifted by a US military helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima, a naval vessel in the Caribbean, before being flown to the US and arriving in New York last night.
Upon arrival at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Orange County, New York, a group of individuals, resembling law enforcement officers, escorted a figure believed to be Maduro down the airplane stairs. Meanwhile, Delcy Rodriguez, the former vice president now acting as Venezuela’s president, condemned Maduro’s arrest as a violation of international law and demanded his immediate release during a National Defense Council session. She urged unity among the people in response to what she described as a forceful attempt to subdue any nation.