E-Paper
'Happy new year': Nicolas Maduro's first comments after US capture | Watch
Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured after US military raids and brought to New York.
First visuals of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have emerged as the Latin American leader is seen handcuffed and flanked by security personnel walking down the hallway inside the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) headquarters in New York City.
“Happy new year,” the captured leader can be heard saying in the video released by the US as Maduro and his wife were brought to New York following US air raids and dramatic capture on Saturday.
Follow updates on US strikes on Venezuela
Watch video
After capture during extraordinary military operation on Saturday, Maduro and his wife were flown out of Venezuela to New York where the two are likely to be imprisoned in federal custody and face criminal charges in connection with a Justice Department indictment accusing them of a role in narco-terrorism conspiracy, according to news agency AP.
Following the dramatic capture, US President Donald Trump said the US would run the country at least temporarily and would tap Venezuelan's vast oil reserves to sell “large amounts” to other countries.
“We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition," Trump said during a press conference.
According to US officials, the operation dubbed as “Absolute Resolve”, had been planned and rehearsed for months. Once launched, it unfolded in under 30 minutes and ended Nicolás Maduro’s rule within hours.
Also read: Born after 10-year wait, infant in Indore dies from milk prepared with municipal water
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Chamber of Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered has said that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez assume the role of acting president of the country, hours after Maduro was captured in an overnight US military operation.
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."
The ruling further said that the court will debate the matter in order to "determine the applicable legal framework to guarantee the continuity of the State, the administration of government, and the defense of sovereignty in the face of the forced absence of the President of the Republic."
