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Bound in handcuffs and dressed in beige clothing with orange trainers, Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro was filmed at dusk by a news helicopter as he was escorted from a vehicle into a waiting SUV.
He was later transferred into a helicopter and flown to the Wall Street Heliport at the southern tip of Manhattan.
After landing, Maduro appeared subdued as federal agents led him away from the aircraft by the arms. Surrounded by armed police officers and agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), he was placed into an armoured motorcade and driven to court, arriving shortly before 8 a.m. local time.
Maduro, who ruled Venezuela for 12 years, was brought under heavy security to the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan, where he is expected to face multiple charges.
U.S. president Donald Trump, who reportedly ordered Maduro’s capture following airstrikes on military targets in and around Caracas, claimed the Venezuelan leader attempted to flee before being apprehended. According to Trump, Maduro “tried to get to a safe place” but was intercepted by U.S. forces.
Court documents allege that Maduro presided over what prosecutors describe as a “corrupt and illegitimate government” that used state power to facilitate illegal activities, including drug trafficking.
Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, is also named as a defendant in the case. She was seen arriving at court alongside her husband, dressed in similar attire.
Both are expected to appear before a judge imminently.
