Soon after being captured in a dramatic overnight military operation on Saturday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were flown to New York City. Initially taken to the DEA headquarters, the couple was later transported by helicopter to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
US President Donald Trump stated that the United States will oversee Venezuela until a change in leadership occurs in the Latin American country. Addressing a press conference, Trump said, “We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition."
Following a large-scale strike by the US on the nation, Maduro was captured and transported out of the country with his wife. They are set to be prosecuted in New York. US President Trump also released an image of Maduro on a US warship post-capture, where he is seen blindfolded and dressed in a tracksuit.
Offering some insight into the location of Maduro and his wife's capture, Venezuela's ruling party leader Nahum Fernandez stated that they were at their residence inside the Ft Tiuna military base when US forces apprehended them.“That's where they bombed… And, there, they carried out what we could call a kidnapping of the president and the first lady of the country," news agency Associated Press quoted Fernandez as saying.
With President Nicolas Maduro absent, the Constitutional Chamber of Venezuela's Supreme Court issued a ruling on Saturday appointing Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as interim president.
The court ruling said that Rodriguez would assume “the office of President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the Nation.”
US strikes on Venezuela
On Saturday, residents of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, were shaken awake by explosions and low-flying aircraft. Shortly after, President Donald Trump claimed that US forces had carried out a "large-scale strike" on Venezuela, capturing President Nicolas Maduro and flying him out of the country in a joint operation with US law enforcement.
Meanwhile, the United Nations expressed concern over the US military action, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling it a "dangerous precedent." Venezuela and Colombia, backed by Russia and China, have called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil condemned the attack, claiming it has disrupted peace in Latin America.