"Happy New Year"

Video: Here Maduro is led away in handcuffs

An ex-head of state in handcuffs: The White House paraded Nicolás Maduro in New York.(Bild: AFP)

Following the spectacular attack by US forces on Venezuela, the US government has released a video of President Nicolás Maduro being arrested. However, it is uncertain what will happen next in Venezuela.

Following his arrest during a US military operation, Maduro has arrived at a detention center in New York. The left-wing authoritarian head of state had previously been taken there by helicopter.

Maduro: "Good night ..."
A video distributed by the White House on X shows the ousted dictator being led away in handcuffs and surrounded by officers from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in a corridor of the building. As Maduro is led past the camera, he says "Good night, happy new year" (see post below).

Trump also published a photo of Maduro
US President Donald Trump had previously published a picture of the captured Maduro. The 79-year-old posted a picture on the Truth Social platform showing Maduro standing tied up in a jogging suit, blindfolded and wearing headphones. "Nicolás Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima," Trump wrote.

Maduro accused of "conspiracy to commit drug terrorism"
Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were arrested by special forces during a US military operation on Saturday and brought to the USA. They are being held in a detention center in New York. He and his wife are accused of "conspiracy to commit drug terrorism" and "conspiracy to import cocaine", among other things.

An ex-head of state in handcuffs: The White House paraded Nicolás Maduro in New York.(Bild: AFP)

You can watch Donald Trump's press conference here:

According to US media, Maduro is due to appear in court shortly. Until then, he is to be held in custody in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a detention facility run by the federal authorities. 

Court appoints Venezuela's vice president as head of government
What happens next in Venezuela is uncertain. At a press conference at his weekend residence Mar-a-Lago, Trump announced that the USA will temporarily take over the leadership of Venezuela itself: "We will govern the country until we can ensure a safe, orderly and sane transition." Venezuela's Supreme Court has since appointed Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as interim president. 

Delcy Rodríguez is the deputy of ousted dictator Maduro. The Venezuelan Supreme Court has now decided that she should assume his office as acting president.(Bild: AP/Ariana Cubillos)

Resistance to US attack announced
And the 56-year-old lawyer has already announced determined resistance to the US attack. "We will never be slaves again." She is considered one of the most loyal figures in Maduro's center of power. As Foreign Minister (2014 - 2017), she shaped the confrontational course against the USA, which she continued as Vice President. Her father was already a left-wing party official, and her brother Jorge Rodríguez also held a number of important posts in Maduro's government. Following the US military operation, she demanded the immediate release of Maduro and his wife. "There is only one president in this country and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros," said Rodríguez, surrounded by ministers and military officers at a meeting of the National Defense Council.

Trump: rejection of Nobel Peace Prize winner
At the same time, Trump caused a political surprise by ruling out cooperation with the leading opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

Venezuela's leading opposition leader Maria Corina Machado(Bild: AFP)

Machado, winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, has "neither the support nor the respect within the country", said Trump. The statement immediately sparked outrage among Machado's supporters, who was considered Maduro's most promising opponent.