American officials have made public a video of the Venezuelan leader being accompanied by DEA agents in New York after his arrest
A video has emerged showing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro greeting bystanders with a “Happy New Year” after being kidnapped by American forces and flown to New York to be confronted with criminal charges.
The short video, which was posted by the White House’s official rapid response account on Sunday, depicts the scene as a “perp walk.”
In the video, Maduro is slowly moving along a corridor with handcuffs on while being escorted by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents wearing windbreakers. Maduro himself is wearing a hooded sweatshirt.
Trying to speak English, Maduro is heard saying “Good night,” and then adding, “Happy New Year,” in a somewhat more lively tone. Another clip filmed around the same time shows Maduro being accompanied outside by over two dozen law – enforcement officers.
US officials stated that Maduro was processed and fingerprinted at a DEA facility in Manhattan. They did not offer further details about his condition or the time of his initial court appearance and arraignment.
US President Donald Trump declared on Saturday that Maduro, along with his wife, Cilia Flores, had been caught during a US operation after strikes in Caracas. US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said Maduro and Flores were indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges such as narco – terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons offences. US officials have also declined to recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate president.
Maduro has repeatedly dismissed claims that he is in any way associated with the drug trade, suggesting that Washington is using the accusation as an excuse for regime change in Venezuela.
After Maduro’s capture, Trump said that the US is “going to manage” Venezuela until a “proper transition can occur.” However, Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez – who is next in line after Maduro – has condemned the attack and demanded that the US release the Venezuelan leader, emphasizing that the country “will never go back to being the colony of another empire.”