"Happy New Year"

Video: Here Maduro is led away in handcuffs

A former 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 the arrested President Nicolás Maduro. Meanwhile, it is unclear how things will proceed in Venezuela.

After his arrest during a US military operation, Maduro arrived at a detention center in New York. Special forces had previously transported the left-wing authoritarian head of state there by helicopter.

Maduro: "Good night..."
A video released by the White House on X shows the deposed dictator being led away in handcuffs, flanked by officials 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
Earlier, US President Donald Trump had published a picture of Maduro in captivity. On the Truth Social platform, the 79-year-old posted an image showing Maduro standing bound in a tracksuit, blindfolded and wearing headphones. "Nicolás Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima," Trump wrote.

Maduro is accused of "conspiracy to commit drug terrorism."
Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were arrested on Saturday during a US military operation by special forces and brought to the US. 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 charges.

A former head of state in handcuffs: The White House presented Nicolás Maduro in New York.(Bild: AFP)

You can watch Donald Trump's press conference here:

According to US media, Maduro is expected to appear in court shortly. Until then, he will be held in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a federal detention facility. 

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

Delcy Rodríguez is the deputy to the ousted dictator Maduro. Now she is to exercise his office on an interim basis, according to a decision by Venezuela's Supreme Court.(Bild: AP/Ariana Cubillos)

Resistance to US attack announced
And the 56-year-old lawyer has already announced her determination to resist the US attack. "We will never be slaves again." She is considered one of the most loyal figures in Maduro's power center. As foreign minister (2014–2017), she shaped the confrontational course against the US, which she continued as vice president. Her father was also a left-wing party official, and her brother Jorge Rodríguez held a number of important positions in Maduro's government. Following the US military intervention, 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," Rodríguez said, surrounded by ministers and military officials 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 leading opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

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

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