Venezuela latest: Maduro in New York jail as Trump says US will run country
Trump says US will run Venezuela until peaceful transition and details capture of MaduroOn The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly international news dispatchCaptured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife have arrived in New York after U.S. forces seized them from their Caracas compound in an extraordinary military operation.Video shared Saturday night by the White House showed Maduro entering the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he will be held before his first court appearance – which could be as early as Monday.In the video, Maduro is seen in a black hoodie, walking down a hallway with a blue carpet labeled “DEA NYD” and wishing an onlooker a “Happy New Year.”President Donald Trump has claimed the U.S. will “run” Venezuela now that Maduro has been captured, and earlier shared a photograph of Maduro in handcuffs en route to New York, where he has been indicted with several offenses including Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy.The president offered few details on who exactly would be in charge in Venezuela when pressed by reporters.More than 150 aircraft, including fighter jets, helicopters and bombers, were involved in the attack on Caracas after Trump gave the order Friday night. Democrats have accused the president of launching the sweeping military action because of oil, not drugs.With reporting from Rosali Hernandez in CaracasWho is Delcy Rodríguez – the interim president of VenezuelaDelcy Rodríguez was installed as Venezuela’s acting president on Saturday after the Supreme Court said she would take over following the detention of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces.The Constitutional Chamber ordered that the vice president assume “the office of President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the Nation”. It said judges would meet to “determine the applicable legal framework to guarantee the continuity of the State, the administration of government, and the defense of sovereignty in the face of the forced absence of the President of the Republic”.Ms Rodríguez, who also oversees finance and oil policy, moved quickly into the role. Hours after Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured, she chaired the National Defence Council and called for their “immediate release”, denouncing the US operation as illegal.Venezuela's vice president Delcy Rodriguez speaks during a meeting with the Diplomatic Corps, in Caracas (AFP via Getty Images)“We call on the peoples of the great homeland to remain united, because what was done to Venezuela can be done to anyone. That brutal use of force to bend the will of the people can be carried out against any country,” she said on state television.Born in Caracas, the 56-year-old lawyer has been a central figure in chavismo for more than two decades. A close ally of Mr Maduro, she has served as communications minister, foreign minister, head of the Constituent Assembly and vice president. The opposition rejects Mr Maduro’s legitimacy after the disputed 2024 election, backing former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia instead. Namita Singh4 January 2026 07:19China says U.S. should immediately release Venezuela’s MaduroChina’s foreign ministry said on Sunday that the United States should immediately release Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and resolve the situation in Venezuela through dialogue and negotiation.In a statement on its website, the ministry also said the United States should ensure the personal safety of Maduro and his wife, adding that their deportation violated international law and norms. Namita Singh4 January 2026 07:09U.K. will ‘shed no tears' over MaduroThe U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer insisted his Labour administration will "shed no tears" over the end of Maduro's regime and said Britain would discuss the "evolving situation" with American counterparts over the coming days.The operation followed months of pressure from Washington on the country, which Mr Trump said America would run until a "safe, proper and judicious transition" could take place.In a statement on Sunday evening, Sir Keir said: "The U.K. has long supported a transition of power in Venezuela."We regarded Maduro as an illegitimate president and we shed no tears about the end of his regime."I reiterated my support for international law this morning.Sir Keir will chair his first Cabinet meeting of 2026 on Tuesday (PA Wire)“The U.K. government will discuss the evolving situation with U.S. counterparts in the days ahead as we seek a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people.”An emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council has been scheduled for Monday.Sir Keir earlier refused to be drawn on whether the military action broke international law, saying he wanted to talk to Trump, with whom he had not spoken on Saturday morning, and allies to "establish the facts".Around 500 U.K. nationals are in Venezuela and work is ongoing to "safeguard" them, the Prime Minister said, while the Foreign Office advised against all travel to the country.The Prime Minister faced calls from Labour backbenchers, as well as opposition politicians, to condemn the military action and take a tougher stance on the U.S. president. Namita Singh4 January 2026 06:57Venezuelan leader in New York to face charges Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has arrived at a New York detention center to face U.S. criminal charges after being captured by American forces.U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the country's leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been flown out of Caracas and indicted on "narco-terrorism" charges following strikes early Saturday.Speaking to reporters hours after Maduro's capture, Trump revealed his plans to exploit the leadership vacuum to "fix" the country's oil infrastructure and sell "large amounts" of the fuel to other countries.A still image from video posted by the White House's Rapid Response 47 account on X.com, shows Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro being walked in custody down a hallway at the offices of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in New York City, 3 January 2026 (@RapidResponse47/Handout via REUTERS )In a post on his Truth Social platform shortly before addressing the media, he posted an image which appeared to show the autocratic leader blindfolded aboard the U.S. warship Iwo Jima and headed to New York.The attack saw explosions ring out and low-flying aircraft sweep through the Venezuelan capital early on Saturday.US Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X that Maduro had been indicted on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and cocaine importation conspiracy. Namita Singh4 January 2026 06:47Foreign couple in Caracas describe being jolted awake by airstrikes – and their attempts to escapeAn Australian lawyer and his wife were asleep in Caracas when airstrikes shattered the city before dawn, upending what had been a quiet family holiday.Alexander, whose name has been changed for security reasons, woke with his Mexican-Venezuelan wife at 2am on Saturday to the roar of jets overhead. Moments later came what he described as a “dull, very profound” blast as the nearby airport erupted in flames less than two kilometers away. “It was very obvious what was happening,” Alexander said, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.As lights flicked on across neighboring buildings and bar patrons spilled into the street, videos of explosions spread on WhatsApp. Other districts reported power and water outages. A demonstrator holds a sign against U.S. military action in Venezuela, at Lafayette Square in front of the White House (Reuters)With local media state-controlled, Alexander turned to foreign outlets. “There’s a vacuum of information, largely because all the media that is available in the country is state-run,” he said. The New York Times later cited a senior official saying at least 40 soldiers and civilians were killed.The attack contrasted sharply with the festive scenes the couple encountered days earlier, when shops were busy and travel routine. Living in New York, they had dismissed Donald Trump’s threats of military action as rhetoric.By Sunday, Caracas was subdued. “It’s a loud city, Venezuelans are a loud people, but it’s noticeably quiet,” he said. Long supermarket lines formed as residents stockpiled supplies, while fuel queues stretched dozens of cars. Flights were suspended, derailing the couple’s planned route via Curaçao.An Instagram post from the airport showed Maduro embracing his wife, captioned: “The empire kidnapped them. We want them back!” Namita Singh4 January 2026 06:35Cilia Flores: Who is Venezuela's powerful first lady?When US authorities announced the capture and indictment of Nicolas Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores's name appeared prominently alongside his, surprising some outside Venezuela. Inside the country, however, her reach has been widely recognized for years.Although formally known as the first lady, Flores has been far more than a ceremonial spouse. Journalists, analysts, and former officials describe her as a central force in shaping Venezuela’s institutions, particularly the courts, while helping entrench loyalists – many of them relatives – throughout the state. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro gestures next to his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, during a rally to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Santa Ines, in Caracas on 10 December 2025 (AFP via Getty Images)Over time, members of her family accumulated substantial wealth that observers say cannot be explained by official salaries alone.Born into a lower middle-class family, Flores trained as a lawyer and began her political ascent in the 1990s. Her rise coincided with the emergence of Hugo Chávez, the leftist firebrand who later became president. She developed a close relationship with Chávez during his imprisonment following a failed coup attempt in 1992, and went on to become a key figure within his political movement, chavismo.Her influence grew steadily as she climbed through the ranks of Venezuela’s legislature, eventually becoming one of its most powerful figures. By the late 1990s, she and Maduro were both serving as lawmakers and had begun a personal and political partnership that would shape the country’s future.They married in 2013, the same year Maduro assumed the presidency following Chávez’s death. At the time, many within the ruling movement viewed Flores as indispensable to securing Maduro’s authority, given her deep connections inside state institutions and her ability to mobilize loyal political networks.Within chavismo, her reputation is formidable. Roberto Deniz, a Venezuelan investigative journalist who has closely examined the Flores family, said she inspires both loyalty and apprehension.“She is a fundamental figure in corruption in Venezuela – absolutely fundamental – and especially in the structure of power,” Zair Mundaray, a former senior prosecutor who served under both Chávez and Maduro, was quoted as saying by the New York Times. “Many people consider her far more astute and shrewd than Maduro himself.” Namita Singh4 January 2026 06:13Non-U.S. airlines also cancel flightsSeveral European and South American airlines also canceled flights.The curbs would be lifted "when appropriate," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had said in a post on X.American military activity near Venezuela led to a near mid-air crash in November between a JetBlue airliner and a U.S. aerial refueling tanker, media said.Several carriers waived change fees and fare differences for customers affected by the closures if they postponed travel.Saturday's U.S. military operation captured Venezuela's long-serving President Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump said, promising to put the country under American control for now, by deploying U.S. forces if necessary.A Colombian soldier stands on top of a military vehicle at the border crossing with Venezuela in Cucuta, Colombia, on 3 January 2026 (AFP via Getty Images)Air Canada said its Caribbean and South American operations were normal, under guidance from Transport Canada, and it was monitoring the situation, adding, "We will update as required if the situation changes."Commercial air traffic over Venezuelan airspace appeared to stop after Saturday's attack, records on tracker FlightRadar24 showed. Namita Singh4 January 2026 05:41U.S. lifts Caribbean airspace curbs after attack on VenezuelaThe United States has advised airlines its Caribbean airspace curbs will expire at midnight ET and flights could resume as schedules are quickly updated, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Saturday.The comments on X followed the cancelation of hundreds of flights by major airlines after the U.S. attack on Venezuela and the capture of its president, Nicolas Maduro.Key carriers United Airlines and Delta were readying to resume flights to the Caribbean by Sunday.A woman walks past military vehicles at the border crossing with Venezuela in Cucuta, Colombia, on 3 January 2026, after US forces captured Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (AFP via Getty Images)In a statement, United said a flight to San Juan in Puerto Rico was planned for Saturday night, adding, "We expect to operate most scheduled flights to the region for Sunday".Delta Air Lines expects to fly its normal Carribean schedule on Sunday, it said in a statement, but adjusted to reposition resources.Even after the removal of curbs, however, airlines will need several day to restore normal operations, said airline analyst Robert Mann, adding, "They have a day's worth of passengers basically," already stranded in the Caribbean.American Airlines, Delta, United, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways began cancelling flights, in line with Federal Aviation Administration airspace closures in the Caribbean.JetBlue canceled 215 flights, an airline spokesperson said.In a notice to airmen, the FAA said it closed the airspace to U.S. carriers "due to safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity."In other security notices for non-U.S. air carriers, the agency warned them away from Venezuelan airspace.It cautioned British operators against "potential risk from anti-aircraft weaponry and heightened military activity" if flying within 100 miles (160 km) of Venezuelan airspace.The FAA declined further comment. Namita Singh4 January 2026 05:38Mamdani says he called Trump to personally object to Venezuela attack and capture of MaduroZohran Mamdani called Donald Trump personally to object to the U.S. military action in Venezuela, saying that the operations in South America would “directly impact New Yorkers.”“I called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act,” Mamdani said at a press conference Saturday.Mike Bedigan4 January 2026 05:20Maduro is out but his top allies still hold power in VenezuelaThe U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro – praised by President Donald Trump as stunning and powerful – leaves behind uncertainty about who is running the oil-rich country.Trump said on Saturday that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, part of the powerful cabal at the top of the country's government, had been sworn in after Maduro's arrest and that she had spoken with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, leading to speculation that she would take the reins.Under Venezuela's constitution, Rodriguez becomes acting president in Maduro's absence and the country's top court ordered her to assume the role late on Saturday night.Government supporters burn a U.S. flag in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, 3 January 2026 (AP)But shortly after Trump's remarks, Rodriguez appeared on state television flanked by her brother, the head of the national assembly Jorge Rodriguez, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez and said that Maduro remained Venezuela's only president. The joint appearance indicated the group that shared power with Maduro is staying united – for now.Trump publicly closed the door Saturday on working with opposition leader and Nobel Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, widely seen as Maduro's most credible opponent, saying she doesn't have support inside the country.After Machado was barred from running in Venezuela's 2024 elections, international observers say her stand-in candidate won the vote in a landslide, despite Maduro's government claiming victory. Namita Singh4 January 2026 05:17
