US strikes on Venezuela highlights: Maduro in New York jail; North Korea calls US's Venezuela action ‘high-handed’

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with the DEA officials after arriving in New York City.

US strikes on Venezuela highlights: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife arrived in New York City after the US captured them in an overnight military operation on Saturday. The two were first taken to the DEA headquarters and later believed to be transported in a helicopter to the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said that the United States is going to “run” Venezuela until a power transition takes place in the Latin American nation. 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."

He also shared a photo of Maduro aboard a US warship after being captured. Maduro is seen blindfolded and wearing a tracksuit in the photo.

Maduro was captured after the US carried out a “large-scale strike” on the country and flown out of the country along with his wife. The couple will face prosecution in New York.

Providing some clarity on where Maduro and his wife were captured from, Venezuela's ruling party leader Nahum Fernandez said that they were at their home within the Ft Tiuna military installation when they were taken by US forces.

“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.

What's happening in Venezuela?

In the absence of Nicolas Maduro from the main chair of Venezuela, the Constitutional Chamber of the country's Supreme Court on Saturday ordered that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez assume the role of 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.”

How Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina reacted

Reacting to Maduro's capture, Venezuela's opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado said that it happened after the Venezuelan President refused to “accept a negotiated exit”.

“Today we are prepared to enforce our mandate and take power. Let us remain vigilant, active, and organized until the Democratic Transition is achieved — a transition that needs ALL of us,” she said in a statement.

US strikes on Venezuela | Key points

1. US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States would take control of Venezuela until a power transition is completed. “We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition,” the US President said.

2. India's ministry of external affairs on Saturday issued an advisory urging Indian nationals to avoid travelling to Venezuela unless it is essential. Indians currently in the country were advised to restrict their movement and remain in close contact with the Indian Embassy in Caracas.

3. The United Nations expressed alarm over the US military action. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “deeply alarmed” by the operation, which sets “a dangerous precedent,” his spokesperson said on Saturday, ahead of a likely UN Security Council meeting.

4. Venezuela and Colombia, backed by Russia and China, have requested an emergency meeting of the 15-member Council, diplomats said, though it has not yet been scheduled.

5. Venezuelan foreign minister Yvan Gil told Russia's RIA state news agency that the peace in Latin America was disrupted by the US attack on Venezuela.