U.S. Captures Maduro and Flies Him to New York as Venezuela’s Leadership Splits

Overview

• Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores were transferred under heavy federal escort to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after an overnight extraction from Caracas, with an initial court appearance expected in the coming days.
• U.S. officials detailed a months‑planned raid using more than 150 aircraft that neutralized Venezuelan air defenses, ferried the pair via the USS Iwo Jima, and resulted in no reported American fatalities.
• Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal named Vice President Delcy Rodríguez interim president as she urged resistance, while President Donald Trump said Washington will administer a transition and tap U.S. energy firms, with post‑capture governance plans still under development, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• Global reactions diverged as China condemned the operation as illegal and called for Maduro’s release, regional governments split in their responses, and the U.N. Security Council scheduled a session for Monday on the crisis.
• Inside and around Venezuela, explosions were reported during the operation and border controls briefly tightened, and Venezuelan diaspora communities in Brazil expressed relief tempered by worries over family safety and travel disruptions.