Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is set to appear in federal court in New York on Monday for arraignment on a four‑count indictment accusing him of leading a 25‑year narco‑terrorism conspiracy, the Associated Press reported.
The arraignment is scheduled for noon before Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan federal court.
Maduro’s capture followed a dramatic overnight US military operation that removed him from power and flew him out of Venezuela. Hours later, President Donald Trump said the United States would run Venezuela “at least temporarily" and tap its vast oil reserves for sale to other nations.
Speaking to reporters after the capture, Trump outlined plans to “fix" Venezuela’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts" of oil abroad.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized from their home on a military base and taken aboard a US warship before being flown to New York. A plane carrying Maduro landed Saturday evening, where federal agents escorted a detainee off the aircraft.
Maduro was then flown by helicopter to New York City and transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Footage showed him at a Manhattan helipad en route to the DEA’s New York Division headquarters for processing.