&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "US releases 1st video of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro in New York: What handcuffed ex-president said")
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has arrived in New York and the Trump administration has released his first video as he is being escorted by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers inside the agency's headquarters in New York. In the video, Maduro is seen in a black hooded sweatshirt, walking down a hallway with a blue carpet labelled "DEA NYD". Rapid Response 47, the official White House rapid response account, posted a video on X. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured after US special forces bombed Venezuelan capital,Caracas. They were reportedlysleeping inside their residence at Caracas' high-security Ft Tiuna military compound during the pre-dawn raid. From the DEA office, Maduro will be taken to the Metropolitan Detention Centre, a federal facility in Brooklyn, according to US media. The detention centre is the same jail where rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs was held throughout his trial last year.
The Venezuelan President was seen smiling as he said, “Good night, Happy New Year," to those accompanying him. The Rapid Response also shared an old video of Maduro in which he says: “Come for me, I am waiting here in Mira Flores, Don't take too long to arrive coward.”
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US Attacks Venezuela
In a quick and precise military operation, the US, on Saturday (Jan 3), captured Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, in what it described as its war against drug cartels and drug lords. US forces bombed Venezuela, captured Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their bedroom and have brought them to New York. The first explosions were heard in the capital Caracas and surrounding areas shortly before 2:00 am (0600 GMT), continuing until around 3:15 am. The action was termed as "Operation Absolute Resolve." Though real figures for the casaulties in the airstrike by the US is not known, Trump, speaking on Fox News program "Fox and Friends," boasted that no US soldiers had been killed. He later told the New York Post that "many Cubans" who were protecting Maduro had died, the first indication of casualties from the US strikes.
Addressing the media after the operation, Trump said that Washington will rule Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.” Trump also said that “very large United States oil companies” would move into Venezuela to “fix the badly broken… oil infrastructure and start making money for the country”. He added that his administration’s actions “will make the people of Venezuela rich, independent and safe.”
