World · 5 January 2026
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Appears in Manhattan Federal Court After Dramatic US Military Capture
Ali Shaker/VOA via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro made his first court appearance at a Manhattan federal courthouse following his capture by US forces in a dramatic military operation in Caracas on Saturday. Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores face federal charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation. The operation marks the end of Maduro's 13-year rule and represents the most assertive American regime-change action since the 2003 Iraq invasion, with Trump declaring the US will run Venezuela temporarily.
Reported by NBC News · How we write briefs