Highlights
- US forces detain Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro
- Trump says US will manage Venezuela during transition
- Russia and China criticise move; UN Security Council to meet
- Maduro to appear in New York federal court
VENEZUELAN president Nicolas Maduro was being held in a New York detention centre on Sunday after president Donald Trump ordered a US raid to detain the South American leader and assume control of the country and its oil reserves.
The operation took place early Saturday and led to power outages in parts of Caracas. It included strikes on military installations, after which US Special Forces detained Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. They were flown by helicopter to a US Navy ship offshore and later transported to the US.
“We will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
For months, the Trump administration has accused Maduro, 63, of involvement in drug shipments to the US.
It increased pressure through a military build-up in the Caribbean and missile strikes on alleged drug-running boats.
Maduro has denied involvement in drug trafficking and has said Trump is seeking Venezuela’s oil.
Potential power vacuum in Venezuela
Many Western allies oppose Maduro and say he stole Venezuela’s 2024 election, but several called on the US to respect international law and pursue a diplomatic solution.
Trump’s statements about controlling Venezuela and exploiting its oil revived concerns linked to past US interventions in Latin America, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Some legal experts questioned the legality of seizing the head of state of a foreign country. Democrats said they were misled during recent Congress briefings and demanded clarity on the next steps.
Trump said major US oil companies would return to Venezuela and rebuild oil infrastructure, which experts said could take years. He said he was open to deploying US forces. “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground,” he said.
A plane carrying Maduro landed near New York City on Saturday night. He was taken by helicopter and then driven by convoy to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn under heavy police presence.
Images released by US authorities showed Maduro handcuffed and blindfolded. He was later seen being escorted through the offices of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, where he was heard wishing a “happy New Year”.
Indicted on multiple federal charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, Maduro is expected to appear in Manhattan federal court on Monday, according to a Justice Department official.
It remains unclear how Trump plans to oversee Venezuela. US forces do not control the country, and Maduro’s government continues to operate and has shown no willingness to cooperate with Washington.
Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, appeared on Venezuelan television on Saturday with senior officials and described the incident as a kidnapping.
“We demand the immediate release of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores,” Rodriguez said, calling Maduro “the only president of Venezuela”. A Venezuelan court ordered Rodriguez to assume the role of interim president.
Recalling past regime changes
Trump did not name a future leader for Venezuela once US control ends and ruled out working with opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado.
“She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country,” he said.
In Venezuela, streets remained mostly calm after early runs on groceries and fuel. Soldiers were deployed in some areas, and small pro-Maduro groups gathered in Caracas.
Others welcomed the developments. “I’m happy, I doubted for a moment that it was happening because it’s like a movie,” said merchant Carolina Pimentel, 37, in Maracay.
Venezuelan migrants in several countries celebrated.
“We are free. We are all happy that the dictatorship has fallen and that we have a free country,” said Khaty Yanez in Santiago, Chile. She is among an estimated 7.7 million Venezuelans — about 20 per cent of the population — who have left the country since 2014.
The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet on Monday. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the actions as “a dangerous precedent”. Russia and China criticised the US.
“China firmly opposes such hegemonic behavior by the US, which seriously violates international law, violates Venezuela’s sovereignty and threatens peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean,” China’s foreign ministry said, calling for Maduro and Flores to be released.
Trump’s remarks on a prolonged military presence echoed language used during past US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, both of which ended after extended deployments.
A US occupation “won’t cost us a penny” because the country would be reimbursed from oil revenue, Trump said, repeating the point during Saturday’s press conference.
Democrats said Trump’s focus on foreign policy could become an election issue ahead of November’s midterm congressional polls, where control of both houses is at stake. Republicans currently hold narrow majorities.
Opinion polls show voters are more concerned about high prices domestically than foreign policy.
Trump also faces resistance from some supporters who back his “America First” agenda and oppose overseas interventions.
(With inputs from agencies)
