 "Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport as he is taken towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face US federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering, and others in New York City, US, on January 5, 2026. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)")
Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has pleaded not guilty in a US court, insisting that he is still the president of the country. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured by the US military over the weekend in a dramatic operation ordered by US President Donald Trump.
Maduro, 63, told a federal judge in Manhattan, “I’m innocent. I’m not guilty,” as he appeared in court for a hearing on charges of drug trafficking and other crimes. His wife similarly pleaded not guilty to the charges against her.
Smiling as he entered the courtroom, Maduro spoke softly, wearing an orange shirt with beige trousers.
“I’m president of the Republic of Venezuela and I’m here kidnapped since January 3, Saturday,” Maduro told the court, speaking in Spanish through an interpreter. “I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela.”
Maduro and his wife were transferred to a Brooklyn jail after their appearance at the Manhattan federal court. According to a report by ABC News, neither of the duo will seek bail in the cases against them. The judge assigned to their case has said that he is open to receiving their bail application, but the couple will otherwise remain detained at MDC-Brooklyn.
Trump says he’s ‘in charge’ of Venezuela
Meanwhile, Trump told NBC News that he is “in charge” of Venezuela as questions mount about who is actually ruling the country after Maduro’s arrest.
The president initially singled out a group of key US officials with varying areas of expertise who are involved: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and Vice President JD Vance.
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View AllHowever, when asked who is at the helm of things, Trump said, “Me.”
Venezuela’s parliament swore in Delcy Rodriguez as interim president on Monday. Rodriguez, who has indicated she will cooperate with Washington, took the oath of office during a ceremony in the National Assembly, telling lawmakers she was doing so “in the name of all Venezuelans.”
She said she was “in pain over the kidnapping of our heroes, the hostages in the United States,” referring to Maduro and his wife.
Global consternation
Washington’s allies, most of whom did not recognise Maduro as president due to vote-rigging allegations, have been more muted, stressing the need for dialogue and adherence to law.
Trump’s raid has created a political storm in the US, with opposition Democrats saying they were misled. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was due to brief top lawmakers later on Monday.
While a handful of conservative figures have criticised the Venezuela operation as a betrayal of Trump’s “America First” pledge to avoid foreign entanglements, most supporters have largely praised it as a swift, painless win.
With inputs from agencies