Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was in a New York jail on Saturday, hours after US special forces seized him and flew him out of his country — which US President Donald Trump said would come under effective US control.
Trump’s announcement followed a predawn raid in which commandos grabbed Maduro and his wife while air strikes pounded sites in and around Caracas.
A US government plane carrying Maduro landed at a military base shortly after nightfall, and he was transported by helicopter to New York City, where the couple were to be arraigned on drug trafficking and weapons charges.
Photo: AFP PHOTO / X account of Rapid Response 47
The White House posted a video on social media of Maduro, handcuffed and in sandals, escorted by federal agents through a US Drug Enforcement Administration facility in New York.
“Good night, happy new year,” the 63-year-old is heard saying in English.
WHAT NEXT?
Despite the success of the risky raid, what happens next is highly uncertain.
Trump said he was “designating people” from his Cabinet to be in charge in Venezuela, but gave no further details.
In another surprise, Trump indicated US troops could be deployed, saying Washington is “not afraid of boots on the ground.”
However, he appeared to reject the possibility of the country’s opposition taking power and said he could work instead with Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez.
One aspect that became clearer was Trump’s interest in Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies... go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure,” he said. “We’ll be selling large amounts of oil.”
US-backed opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who won last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, posted on social media that “the hour of freedom has arrived.”
She called for the opposition’s 2024 election candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, to “immediately” assume the presidency.
Trump was surprisingly cold about expectations that Machado could become Venezuela’s new leader, saying she does not have “support or respect” there.
Instead, he touted Rodriguez, saying: “she’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”
Rodriguez poured cold water on that, demanding Maduro’s release and vowing to “defend” the country.
Late on Saturday, Venezuela’s Supreme Court ordered Rodriguez to assume presidential powers “in an acting capacity.”
Reflecting the confusion, Trump indicated US involvement is likely for the long haul.
“We’re going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place,” he said.
REACTIONS
Venezuela’s ally China said it “strongly condemns” the US operation, and called for Maduro to be “immediately released.”
“The US’s move is in clear violation of international law, basic norms in international relations, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter,” the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement yesterday.
Meanwhile, France warned a solution cannot “be imposed from outside.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected.”
At Venezuela’s request, the UN Security Council is to meet today to discuss the crisis, the Somali presidency of the council said.
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