Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro says he is a 'prisoner of war' after pleading not guilty to narco-terrorism charges

Venezuela government hails Maduro as kidnapped hero

The Venezuelan government on Monday sought to show its people and the world that the country is being run independently and not controlled by the United States.

Lawmakers aligned with the ruling party, including Maduro's son, gathered in the capital, Caracas, to follow through with a scheduled swearing-in ceremony of the National Assembly for a term that will last until 2031. They reelected their longtime speaker — the brother of the newly named interim president, Delcy Rodríguez — and gave speeches focused on condemning Maduro's capture Saturday by U.S. forces.

“If we normalize the kidnapping of a head of state, no country is safe. Today, it’s Venezuela. Tomorrow, it could be any nation that refuses to submit," Maduro's son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, said at the legislative palace in his first public appearance since Saturday. "This is not a regional problem. It is a direct threat to global political stability."

Rodríguez, who served as vice president to Maduro and has vowed to work with the Trump administration, was sworn in as interim president of Venezuela in the country’s parliament building.

Rodríguez was sworn in by her brother, National Assembly leader Jorge Rodríguez.

“I come with sorrow for the suffering inflicted upon the Venezuelan people following an illegitimate military aggression against our homeland,” she said with her right hand up. “I come with sorrow for the kidnapping of two heroes.”

Maduro, wife returned to MDC

Following the arraignment, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, were returned to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where they have been held since their arrest.

Dissident to Maduro: 'You will face the real judge'

Venezuelan political dissident Pedro Rojas left the federal courthouse after exchanging words with Maduro at the end of the arraignment hearing.

"Now, you will face the real judge," Rojas told the South American leader from the gallery of the courtroom as he was led away in leg shackles.

"I am a man of God," Maduro responded. "I am a prisoner of war."

Rojas said he had been imprisoned in Venezuela for his opposition to the Maduro regime.

Protesters outside courthouse

Baxter Street outside the courthouse was roughly the demarcation line between anti-intervention/anti-Trump demonstrators and those celebrating the seizure of Nicolás Maduro.

"Donald Trump is a hero!" one man shouted in a New York accent, on the west side of Baxter.

The anti-Trump, anti-interventionist side was far larger.

"U.S.A. HANDS OFF VENEZUELA,” read one sign. “FREE NICOLÁS MADURO,” read another.

But there were some anti-Maduro demonstrators mixed in with the anti-Trump crowd.

A group of men waved Venezuelan flags, one man with a "MADURO OUT" sign, singing the national anthem: "Gloria al Bravo Pueblo" ("Glory to the Brave Nation").

Indictment says couple ordered kidnappings, murder

Among other things, the indictment accuses Maduro and his wife of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders of those who owed them drug money or undermined their drug trafficking operation. That included a local drug boss' killing in Caracas, the indictment said.

Maduro’s wife is also accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in 2007 to arrange a meeting between “a large-scale drug trafficker” and the director of Venezuela’s National Anti-Drug Office, resulting in additional monthly bribes, with some of the money going to Maduro's wife, according to the indictment.

Venezuela’s new interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has demanded that the U.S. return Maduro, who long denied any involvement in drug trafficking — although late Sunday she also struck a more conciliatory tone in a social media post, inviting collaboration with Trump and “respectful relations” with the U.S.

Maduro's parting shot

As Maduro was leaving the courtroom, he said ,"I am a prisoner of war," according to The New York Times.

Venezuelan reporter: Maduro 'asked for my head'

Venezuelan newspaper reporter Carola Briceño investigated the Maduro family’s corruption in Venezuela — and was arrested by his government in 2016 and accused of terrorism.

She eventually came to America in 2023 under a refugee resettlement program.

“Maduro asked for my head!” she said outside the courthouse Monday.

She said she was grateful Trump went in and got Maduro but thinks more of his family and greater orbit need to be in jail — maybe 60 people.

If Trump didn't do it, she says, who would?

Arraignment concludes

The proceeding is over and both defendants have left the courtroom. 

Their next court date is March 17.

Injuries sustained during 'abduction'

Nicolás Maduro's lawyer, Barry Pollack, said his client has "health and medical issues that will require attention" and asked to fill out a medical form that would allow for treatment at the federal detention center where Maduro, 63, is being held. He did not specify the issues.

Mark Donnelly, the attorney for Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, said his client "sustained significant injuries, as you can see here in court ... a fracture or severe bruising on her ribs." He said he wanted his client to receive an X-ray to determine the extent of her injuries. Flores, 69, had bandages and bruising on her face and held onto a U.S. marshal for support when she walked.

Donnelly said the injuries were sustained during her "abduction." 

When discussing the discovery process and court schedule with the judge, Pollack hinted that future motions may seek to address the manner in which his client was apprehended, referring to it as “the legality of his military abduction.”

Maduro not seeking release on bail

Asked by Hellerstein if Maduro is seeking bail, Pollack said: "Your honor, Mr. Maduro is not seeking release at this time, without prejudice for putting in an application at a later date.”

Maduro's wife's lawyer also said they would not ask for bail today, but could in the future.

Flores pleads not guilty

Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, also pleaded not guilty and said she is "not guilty, completely innocent" when asked for her plea.

Hellerstein advised the defendants that as citizens of Venezuela, they have a right to access the Venezuelan consulate. Maduro replied: “Yes, we understand it and we would like to have such consular visits.”

Maduro maintains his innocence

Maduro waived the reading of the indictment in court, saying that he preferred to read it "personally." He added: "I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything that is mentioned here."

Maduro tells judge he is 'a decent man'

Maduro's arraignment began with U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein reading the charges facing the captured Venezuelan leader and his wife. When Hellerstein asked Nicolás Maduros to identify himself, he stood up and began speaking in Spanish.

“Are you sir, Nicolás Maduro Moras?” Hellerstein asked, using Maduro’s full name in the indictment.

“I am president of the Republic of Venezuela,” said Maduro, who added that he was captured on January 3.

Hellerstein then stopped Maduro, telling him, “There’ll be a time and a place to go into this.”

Asked for his plea to the charges, Maduro said: “I’m innocent. I’m not guilty. I’m a decent man.”

Maduro enters plea

Maduro has entered a plea of not guilty to all charges. Maduro told the judge, "I was captured," as he made his first U.S. court appearance on drug trafficking charges, according to The Associated Press. "I am a decent man, the president of my country," he said.

Demonstrators outside courthouse on both sides

Protesters are divided into barricades on two sides of Baxter Street, which is perpendicular to the courthouse where Maduro is being arraigned.

On the west side of the street are pro-Trump, pro-seizure (or both) protesters. “Support President Trump,” reads one sign, “Arrest dictator Maduro.”

On the other side of the street is a much larger group of anti-seizure and anti-Trump protesters. “FREE NICOLÁS MADURO,” reads one sign.

Judge takes the bench

The judge has entered the courtroom. Maduro is writing on a sheet of paper.

Maduro and his wife enter NYC courtroom

Captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have entered the downtown Manhattan courtroom where they are set to be arraigned momentarily on an indictment alleging narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons charges.

A team of prosecutors from the Southern District of New York is seated in the first of three rows of tables in the courtroom. Maduro and his legal team are seated behind the prosecutors.

U.S. marshals, who handle security in federal courthouses, are flanking the defendants. Both Maduro and his wife are wearing headphones, allowing them to hear the proceedings in Spanish.

Federal court area closed

The blocks surrounding the courthouse where Maduro is being arraigned are closed by the authorities, including a public space and Pearl Street, which bisects the lower Manhattan court complex and a now-shuttered federal jail.

Outside the perimeter, a peddler is selling Venezuelan flags — $10 for a small one.

Son of deposed president appears

The son of deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appeared in Venezuela’s National Assembly on Monday where the country’s lawmakers elected in parliamentary elections last May are set to be sworn in.

His son and congressman Nicolás Maduro Guerra, also known as “Nicolasito,” had not been seen publicly since his father was captured Saturday in an American military operation.

Guerra faces multiple charges in the U.S. indictment, as well.

United Nations Security Council meets on Venezuela

The top United Nations official said that the United States may have violated international law with its unilateral action.

In a statement, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said he remains "deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected with regard to the 3 January military action."

At an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday, Colombian Ambassador Leonor Zalabata said the raid in Venezuela was reminiscent of "the worst interference in our area in the past."

But her carefully calibrated remarks mentioned the U.S. only obliquely and shied from the type of fiery criticism Colombian President Gustavo Petro lobbed at the U.S. last fall during the U.N.’s biggest annual meeting.

U.S. ambassador Mike Waltz defended the military action as a justified "surgical law enforcement operation."

"If the United Nations in this body confers legitimacy on an illegitimate narco-terrorist with the same treatment in this charter of a democratically elected president or head of state, what kind of organization is this?" Waltz said.

What to know about Maduro's attorney

Nicolás Maduro will be represented by Barry Pollack, who has represented a number of high profile defendants, including Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Martin Tankleff, the Long Islander who was wrongly convicted of killing his parents.

Pollack works for the New York- and Washington, D.C.-based law firm Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler.

Small public turnout ahead of Maduro court appearance

Media swarmed outside 500 Pearl St. ahead of Maduro's first appearance.

The public turnout, however, was sparse. Photographers and reporters far outnumbered protesters who congregated across the street while holding signs that said, "No Blood for Venezuelan Oil," "No Criminal Trump Invasion" and "USA Hands Off Venezuela."

Some draped themselves in the country's flag.

Pro-intervention demonstrators briefly sparred with anti-Trump protesters, grabbing at their flags before police set up metal barricades to separate the groups.

Inside the courthouse there was increased staffing of U.S. marshals to handle security.

Who is the Maduro judge?

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein has handled numerous weighty cases in his nearly three decades on the bench, including matters involving President Donald Trump, the 9/11 attacks and Sudanese genocide.

Now, the 92-year-old Manhattan jurist is presiding over what could be his biggest case yet. Hellerstein is set to arraign Maduro and Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, at noon Monday, kick-starting a judicial assignment that was on hold for six years as Maduro eluded arrest after U.S. prosecutors first indicted him.

In the meantime, Hellerstein has been presiding over cases involving some of Maduro’s co-defendants.

In April 2024, the judge sentenced retired Venezuelan army general Cliver Alcalá to more than 21 years in prison. On Feb. 23, he’s scheduled to sentence a former Venezuelan spymaster, Retired Maj. Gen. Hugo Carvajal.

Maduro, wife arrive at court in lower Manhattan

Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been transferred from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan for their arraignment today.

They arrived via armored car after being taken by helicopter across the East River.

Oil prices fall back after the U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Maduro

BANGKOK — Oil prices fell back Monday while the prices of precious metals surged as markets reacted calmly to the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a weekend raid.

Asian shares rallied on heavy buying of tech-related stocks after modest gains Friday on Wall Street. The future for the S&P 500 was up 0.2% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was virtually unchanged.

In early European trading, Germany's DAX was up 0.8% at 24,728.94, while the CAC 40 in Paris picked up 0.3% to 8,216.98. Britain's FTSE 100 edged 0.2% higher, to 9,968.71.

“While the capture of Venezuelan president Maduro by American forces has dominated headlines, financial markets seem unperturbed,” Thomas Mathews of Capital Economics said in a report. “We agree with the implicit view that the near-term economic and financial implications are minor.”

Shortly after trading began Monday, U.S. benchmark crude oil rose slightly. But it later was trading 36 cents lower at $56.96 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 34 cents to $60.41 per barrel.

After years of neglect and international sanctions, Venezuela’s oil industry is in disrepair. It could take years and major investments before production can increase dramatically. But some analysts expect its current output of about 1.1 million barrels a day could double or triple fairly quickly.

Read more here

Head-of-state immunity question

Head-of-state immunity is one possible defense that toppled Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro could use in the federal case against him.

The 1991 trial of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega in a Miami federal court on racketeering, money laundering and drug smuggling charges provides the most comparable case in recent U.S. history.

Noriega, who led the country’s military, was fired after his indictment by the elected president. The court rejected Noriega’s immunity argument, because the U.S. did not recognize him as the head of state, according to court records.

By the same measure, the Maduro indictment notes he had “usurped power and was not the legitimate president of Venezuela.”

Maduro and wife to be arraigned Monday

Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are scheduled to be transported on Monday morning from the Brooklyn federal detention center where they are being held to Manhattan federal court to face drug trafficking and weapons charges.

The couple is expected to be arraigned on charges that they worked closely with narco-terrorist groups in Colombia and Mexico to keep their grip on political power through force and intimidation, while shipping large quantities of cocaine to Mexico, France and the United States from 1999 to 2025.

Maduro faces one count of narco-terrorism conspiracy, charging that he and others in his government worked with violent cocaine smuggling groups like the Sinaloa Cartel, FARC and Tren de Aragua to enrich himself with the proceeds of their drug operations, according to the indictment.

Maduro and his wife face three additional counts of cocaine smuggling and weapons charges.

They will be arraigned before District Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein around noon in the lower Manhattan courthouse.