Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, arrived at Stewart International Airport in New York State after being seized during a US military operation in Caracas, according to reports.
Aerial footage showed Maduro disembarking from the aircraft accompanied by several individuals amid heavy security measures. He is expected to be transferred by helicopter to New York City to stand trial under an indictment announced by Washington, which US authorities claim is linked to drug trafficking allegations.
Footage shows Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores arriving in a Bearcat, escorted by armed agents, at the DEA building in New York City. pic.twitter.com/3Dvvyn6YWN
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) January 4, 2026
The New York Times reported that the US military operation against Venezuela resulted not only in the arrest of the Venezuelan president and his wife but also in the deaths of 40 people, including civilians and soldiers. US officials said more than 150 American aircraft were deployed to destroy Venezuelan air defense systems, enabling military helicopters to land forces that carried out the assault on Maduro’s residence.
US President Donald Trump publicly announced the capture of Maduro and his wife, as well as the destruction of key military and civilian facilities in Venezuela, warning that additional strikes could follow if deemed necessary. The remarks were made during a joint press conference with the US secretaries of defense and state and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, following the attack on the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, and other regions of the country.
Venezuelan Officials and Public React
In her first response following Trump’s statements, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez called for calm and national unity to defend the country. She rejected what she described as the violence inflicted by the US president on Venezuela, saying the American military assault represents a grave stain on the course of bilateral relations.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez rebuffs the claims of regime change by the Trump admin and affirms: "All of Venezuela is mobilized. There is only one President in this country, and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros." pic.twitter.com/m4DGapU9VV
— BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) January 3, 2026
Venezuelans took to the streets to denounce what they described as a US assault on their country’s sovereignty, demanding the return of their president and accountability for Washington over what they called a crime that violates international laws and norms and disregards the will of the Venezuelan people. During the demonstrations, the governor of Caracas said the Venezuelan people would not yield or submit, stressing that Washington is determined to seize Venezuela’s resources—an outcome, she said, that the people would not allow.
Detention and Federal Charges
US authorities later announced that Maduro has been placed in a detention facility in the Brooklyn borough of New York, ahead of his scheduled appearance before a federal court in Manhattan on Monday. The case centers on charges related to narcotics and weapons offenses. The US Department of Justice also released an indictment naming Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Maduro and his wife were escorted to offices of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York, where he underwent an initial interrogation hours after arriving aboard an aircraft at a National Guard military base north of the city.
Footage circulating on social media showed the Venezuelan president surrounded by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents as he disembarked from a US government aircraft at Stewart Air Base before being transferred to the detention center.
Maduro is expected to later appear before a federal judge to respond to charges that include what Washington describes as “narco-terrorism” and the export of cocaine to the United States—allegations he has repeatedly denied.