Nicholas Maduro arrest: Venezuelan President locked up in New York’s Metropolitan Detention Centre
A complex operation to transport Venezuelan President Nichols Maduro to the United States on federal drug charges was completed when the leader was spotted walking in chains at the New York office of the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
After Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were kidnapped from Caracas by a US military operation called Operation Absolute Resolve, they began a nearly 24-hour journey that ended in a detention center in New York.
“Last night and early today, at my direction, U.S. armed forces conducted an extraordinary military operation in the capital of Venezuela. … This was an operation against a heavily fortified military stronghold in the heart of Caracas to bring illegal dictator Nicolás Maduro to justice,” Mr. Trump said at a noon news conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
First, Maduro was put on the US warship USS Iwo Jima.
From this moment on, the world saw for the first time that Maduro was in custody.
The US President shared a live image of the Venezuelan President captured after the attack.
Mr. Trump shared the photo on Truth Social, which shows Maduro blindfolded, handcuffed and held upright by U.S. forces.
In the photo, Maduro can be seen wearing headphones, presumably to prevent him from hearing anything.
He was photographed wearing a gray Nike tracksuit while holding his water bottle.
In the photo shared by the US President after the attack on the Venezuelan capital Caracas, Maduro does not appear to be visibly injured from the high-risk US military operation.
From there, the couple was taken to the airport and put on a plane to New York.
Shortly after 5:30 p.m. local time, the couple touched down at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York.
The plane remained on the tarmac for a while as federal agents rushed to the scene.
Eventually, Maduro disembarked, accompanied by dozens of officials.
From there, Maduro and his wife were loaded into helicopters that flew them to Manhattan.
The operation continued with extreme precision as authorities carefully escorted the President to many locations throughout the crowded city.
First, Maduro was taken to the DEA, where he was processed and the process called “criminal walk” was completed.
The captured leader was seen in handcuffs walking with US DEA agents before saying “Happy New Year” to someone nearby.
Maduro and his wife, who are now understood to be separated, were then taken by convoy to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn.
MDC, a federal detention facility, houses several high-profile inmates, including R Kelly, Ghislaine Maxwell and Sean Combs. Approximately 1,300 people are being held at MDC.
News helicopters circled and cheering crowds gathered before Maduro’s arrival, but the Venezuelan President was not seen. Instead they were quietly led through a secure entrance.
Conditions at the MDC are alleged to be uncomfortable, cramped, cold and rundown.
Neither Maduro nor his wife are expected to receive special treatment while detained in the United States.
On Monday, US time, Maduro and his wife will likely appear in court separately to hear all charges.
