Maduro and wife arrive at New York court
New York: The deposed Venezuelan president and his wife arrived at a New York courthouse on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) where they were to be charged.
Nicolás Maduro and Cecilia Flores were handcuffed and surrounded by heavily armored federal agents and NYPD police officers as they were taken from their jail cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
They were flown by helicopter from about 6 miles to a helipad on Wall Street and then transported in an armored truck a short distance to the court precinct in Lower Manhattan.
Maduro arrived at the Wall Street helipad before appearing in federal court in New York.Credit: Bloomberg
Maduro arrives at the helipad before being transported to the courthouse by vehicle.Credit: Bloomberg
Multiple heavily armed agents and NYPD police officers protected them as the high-security transfer took place.
According to an unsealed indictment, they will face a federal court judge in Manhattan within a few hours, around 4am AEDT, where they will be charged with multiple charges including narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine.
Maduro and Flores were extradited to the United States on Saturday night after they were captured by US forces during a daring military operation that had been planned for months.
The dramatic capture has emboldened Donald Trump, who last night hinted he might take military action in Colombia and Greenland and told Mexico to “get its act together”.
More to come
