Screenshot taken from Rapid Response 47’s X account, the official White House rapid response account, shows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro being escorted by DEA agents inside their office. Photo: AFP
NEW YORK:
Venezuela’s deposed President Nicolas Maduro is being held in a New York detention center and faces narcoterrorism charges after U.S. special forces arrested him in a dramatic overnight raid authorized by President Donald Trump.
The 63-year-old was flown to the United States following strikes on military sites in Caracas. Images of him blindfolded and handcuffed shocked Venezuelans and sparked international concern about the legality and consequences of the intervention.
Trump said the United States would temporarily control the oil-rich country to ensure a “safe and wise” transfer of power, and signaled that American oil companies could return to rehabilitate the country’s crumbling energy sector, without ruling out a military presence.
In a brief telephone interview with the New York Times, Trump praised this “brilliant” operation. “A lot of good planning and a lot of great troops and great people,” the president said, according to the newspaper.
At home, Maduro’s allies denounced what they called an imperialist kidnapping and seizure of Venezuela’s vast oil wealth, while interim leader Delcy Rodriguez insisted he remained the only legitimate president and vowed the country would not return to being a colony.
The streets of major cities were quiet amid fear and uncertainty, while some Venezuelans abroad welcomed the fall of Maduro’s regime after years of economic collapse, mass migration and a violent crackdown on dissent that drove millions from the country.
Furthermore, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Venezuela ordered that Vice President Rodríguez assume the role of interim president of the country in Maduro’s absence, “in order to guarantee administrative continuity and the overall defense of the Nation.”
The judgment adds that the court will debate the issue in order to “determine the legal framework applicable to guarantee the continuity of the State, the administration of the government and the defense of sovereignty in the face of the forced absence of the President of the Republic”.
Earlier, Rodriguez was shown on state television speaking in Caracas. Appearing with his brother Jorge Rodriguez and the foreign and defense ministers, he called for calm and unity to defend the country against Maduro’s kidnapping. “Nicolas Maduro is the only president of Venezuela,” he said.
Maduro is expected to appear in a Manhattan court, while the UN Security Council (UNSC) meets to discuss the US operation, which has drawn criticism from Russia and China and prompted calls for respect for international law and diplomatic solutions.
Diplomats said Colombia, supported by Russia and China, had requested an emergency session of the 15-member UN Security Council. “The presidency intends to hold an emergency meeting on Monday morning at 10 a.m.,” said Somalia, which holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council.
The meeting will be held under the title: “Threats to international peace and security”. This comes after Venezuela’s ambassador to the UN, Samuel Moncada, wrote to the UN Security Council on Saturday, calling the action a “colonial war aimed at destroying our republican form of government.”
Trump’s decision also sparked fierce debate in Washington, with Democrats demanding clarity on legal authority and long-term strategy, and some Republicans questioning how it fits into an “America First” agenda.
Despite the tense atmosphere, daily life in parts of Venezuela continued at a cautious pace, even as residents stocked up on food and weighed the risks of instability in a country already marked by economic crisis and political unrest.
